My dreams of flight began when I was 5 years old. To this day,
I can still close my eyes and feel the tumultuous sensations of my very first
airborne reverie. Accompanied by a giant talking bird, I ascend through a sea
of black sky, rising ever higher as I watch the earth evaporate below. Joy…freedom
(and fear) would forever be engraved upon my heart, and a passion for all things
aviation would forever spark my soul.
I attribute the choice of my career as a writer and theatre artist to this life-changing vision. Ironically, it would be many years before I learned that flying dreams are common among children (I believed only I had this secret dream skill)! Perhaps our ability to soar in midnight wanderings is somehow linked to our impulse to imagine and create? Sadly enough, as we leave childhood, some of us lose this gift of flight ... but a few keep dreaming.
Wilbur and Orville Wright's story, the incredible tale of two plain-spoken bicycle mechanics who defied the laws of gravity (and public opinion), embodies two indispensable qualities that define us as human beings: creativity and invention. Every child should learn about the Wright Brothers and their struggle to transform a dream into reality. And every child should have the opportunity to invent and imagine.
My project, Dreams-of-Flight, was developed to realize this goal. And I could not have found a better place than Robeson County to initiate this statewide program. A heartfelt thanks to Myra McLees, Mary Ann Masters and the entire staff and board of Exploration Station; Nila Chamberlin, Serilda Goodwin and Robeson County Public School system; Loretta Allen, Shirlease Samuels, Lawton Baker and Robeson Community College; and David Barker, Robeson County Celebration of Flight for helping make this project a reality. And a special thanks to Orrum Middle School, Purnell Swett High School, Southeastern Academy, Tanglewood Elementary, and Union Chapel Elementary for their participation and support. Working with the youth of Robeson County was a constant delight and the children's enthusiasm for learning, and joy in creating, was truly awe-inspiring! The Wright Brothers would have felt right at home in this place of young thinkers and artists.
I would like to dedicate Dreams-of-Flight to Myrtle Donaldson (June 15, 1903 - April 27, 2003). Born before the first plane flew, Myrtle lived to see the dawn of a new century (with people living on a space station)! Imagine that…
I hope you enjoy the children's work presented on this web site. In closing, let me offer a simple prayer that the next hundred years give rise to a world where every child can live their dreams.
June Guralnick