Hickory Ridge Elementary

Wow, an incredible duo visited our school Hickory Ridge Elementary here in Memphis, Tn. Their names were Gerry Dupree, a pilot with FedEx and Thelma Rudd an Air Traffic Controller and Founder of the Bessie Coleman Foundation. They were awesome and our 5th grade team loved them. They talked to us about careers and what we wanted to be when we grow up. They both grew up with few resources but they overcame and developed to what they both are today. This tells me that you can be anything you want to be when you put your mind to it. They also gave us an idea of how their lives were before arriving at their careers and what they had to go through to make it this far. Ms. Rudd talked to us about the sacrifices of the first African American woman to get her pilot license, Ms. Bessie Coleman. Mr. Dupree talked to us about what his job involves. He also quizzed us on science and math. Okay now I see how those subjects are going to be around even after I complete school. We all enjoyed their presentations and would love to have more visits. The impression they left with me was no matter who you are, no matter what you want to do in life and when you want to do it, you can do!
5th Grader

To those in the field of aviation, thank you for opening a path for us young people. We really appreciate the presentations from Mr. Dupree and Ms. Rudd. It helps us, especially us young men to see an example of what we can be in life. Mr. Dupree was a good example of being a professional. Seeing him in his uniform was awesome! He spoke fluently and gave us some good advice about getting into any career. Ms. Rudd thank you for touching us and allowing us to think of what we could be in the future. Some of the young ladies have even changed since your presentation. Now some students talk like they could be President of the United States. Would you believe some students have even starting acting better and improved their study habits? If you have another chance, please come back and spend some time with us.
5th Grader


A couple of weeks ago we had Gerry Dupree, a pilot from FedEx to visit our school. We’ve had some awesome pilots to visit Hickory Ridge Elementary in previous years. Mr. Dupree’s career deals with geography, science, and math. These are subjects that I do excel in so his career captures my interest. The exciting part was when told us his destinations are sometimes Africa, Asia, Australia and China. I would love to travel to those exotic locations. Ms. Rudd gave us a brief history of Bessie Coleman and the opportunities that were denied to her. I now understand and admire Ms. Coleman for her sacrifice and determination. Ms. Rudd also gave us demonstrations of flight patterns and how important her career was for passenger safety. These are presentations that I will remember for the rest of my life. Please come back and visit our school.
5th Grader