We recently visited the Wright-Dunbar Visitor Center at the Dayton Aviation National Historic Park, and while there was lots of information about Dayton's high-flying Wright brothers Wilber and Orville, we were really taken by learning the lesser-known story of Dayton writer Paul Laurence Dunbar and his friendship with the brothers after he met Orville Wright when both were students at the city's Central High School during the 1890s.
Dunbar, the son of former slaves, attended the school and graduated as a member of the class of 1891 (Orville dropped out of school to pursue his work as an inventor and engineer working with his brother Wilbur to develop a practical heavier-than-air flying machine during the earliest years of the twentieth century).
Dunbar struggled after high school graduation to find a job as an elevator operator and to get his work published. The Wright brothers, who owned a print shop at the time, were among the first to publish his work.

The brothers went on to achieve world-wide fame and acclaim, and Dunbar, got a lucky break when one of his former teachers invited him to speak at a writers' convention. The reading led to Dunbar's establishing a career as an author and public speaker. His rise to fame was quick, but didn't last long as he died of tuberculosis by 1906.
Dunbar's legacy continued to live on as he greatly influenced African-American writers in literature and poetry during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
Check out my latest post for the Ohio Tourism Division's travel blog, Explore Dayton's Aviation History to learn more about the Wrights and their friend Dunbar.
Want to learn more about the Wright brothers? Check out The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.
Check out Jump Back Honey: The Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar (Jump at the Sun) or Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow (New York-1907) to see samples of Dunbar's work.
© Dominique King 2016 All rights reserved
Hello Dominique,
I also visited Wright-Dunbar Center few days before and that was a wonderful experience and you have written very well about it. Thank you.
Emily Muhavare
Posted by: Muhavare | March 24, 2016 at 08:43 AM
I really love discovering lesser-known stories at museums! A great way to expand our knowledge!
Posted by: Melissa Schwartz | March 28, 2016 at 02:11 PM