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Sept. 9, 2025: From astronaut to artist, Ed Dwight reflects on a journey making history as he turns 92

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SCULPTOR ED DWIGHT
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Ed Dwight with his sculpture of his grandfather Lobe Dwight together with grandmother Sarah, at his studio in Denver, Aug. 19, 2025.

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A remarkable Coloradan - and an American pioneer - celebrates his 92nd birthday today. Ed Dwight was the first Black man to be selected for astronaut training more than 60 years ago. And six decades later, he became the oldest person to go to space.

Dwight’s history-making didn’t stop there. He went on to become a celebrated artist, sculpting important monuments to Black legends. His body of work appears in Denver and at memorials across the country, and in museums like the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

This year, he was nominated for a Congressional Gold Medal. Chandra met Dwight at his work space in north Denver.

Courtesy of Christopher Dwight
A young Ed Dwight during his time with the U.S. Air Force.
SCULPTOR ED DWIGHT
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Sculptures of musicians, of all kinds and all sizes, are prominent in Ed Dwight’s studio in Denver, Aug. 19, 2025.
Woman in black dress is seated at a conference table next to a man in a dark blue shirt and black pants. There are black chairs around the table.
Zain Haque-Piccione/CPR News
Colorado Matters host Chandra Thomas Whitfield with Ed Dwight, pioneering astronaut and artist.