Featured Heroes
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Alfred C. Haynes

Aviation experts still haven’t been able to explain how Hayne and Fitch were able to land a jet with no hydraulic pressure. But thanks to their heroics most of the passengers onboard flight 232 survived what should have been an un-survivable crash. More
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Peggy Whitson, Ph.D.

As a young girl growing up in Beaconsfield Iowa, Dr. Peggy Whitson reached for the stars. As an adult, she visited them as commander of the International Space Station. More
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Darryl Putz

One minute Daryl Putz was just an ordinary Iowan on his way to finish up some last minutes Christmas shopping. In the next, he was a Hero, having saved the life of a trucker trapped in the burning wreckage of an 18-wheeler. More
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August Samuel Duesenberg

In 1921 seven of the top ten finishers at the Indianapolis 500 drove Duesenbergs, leading onlookers to remark “It’s a doozy!” The Iowa craftsmen built the finest automobiles of the era, leading everyone from Clark Gable to the Duke of Windsor clamoring to get their hands on a ‘doozy.’ More
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Frank W. Cyr, Ph.D.

The sky is blue, grass is green and school buses are yellow, but it wasn’t always that way - for school buses, at least. In 1939 Grinnell resident Dr. Frank Cyr became the father of the yellow school bus when he convened a national council that declared yellow as the standard color for school buses. More
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General Grenville Mellen Dodge

The Civil War general from Council Bluffs left behind an impressive legacy. Dodge was a pivotal force in building the transcontinental railroad, the chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad and a savvy politician who represented Iowa as a republican congressman. More
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Dr. Robert Breedlove

In 2002, Breedlove set a record by riding his bike from Los Angeles to Atlantic City, N.J. in nine days, 19 hours and 47 minutes. The record is one of many impressive feats in the life of a man who, having traveled the world pursuing his passion was most at home on the bike trails surrounding Des Moines. More
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Cecil Reed

As an African American in the 1950s, racial prejudices led most hotel owners to refuse African American patrons. Realizing that something needed to be done, Reed opened the Sepia Motel in 1953. It was one of the first hotels in the country that welcomed people of all races and religions. More
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Rose Lee

Coordinating the transportation needs of rural Iowa isn’t an easy task, but Rose Lee accomplished exactly that. The program she pioneered, RIDES, transports 1,500 people spread out over 5,600 square miles every single day. More
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honoring the people that make life go...

Transportation keeps our country moving, but what makes transportation go?

People. Heroes. And each one has a story to tell.

The Heroes Center is a web-based exhibit from the Iowa Transportation Museum, located in Grinnell, Iowa. Here you will discover those who have contributed to our state's rich transportation legacy, and meet those who continue to make a difference in our lives today. To get started, simply click on one of the featured names above. Afterward, nominate the Transportation Hero from your life and help our experience grow.

The Learning Zone
WATCH A VIDEO MESSAGE FROM FORMER IOWA GOVERNOR ROBERT RAY
News & Events
Iowa Transportation Museum Celebrates Launch of Transportation Heroes Center Online

The Iowa Transportation Museum proudly announces the launch of the Transportation Heroes Center, an interactive and educational Web-based exhibit. Paying tribute to individuals who have made significant contributions to Iowa’s rich transportation heritage, the exhibit inspires the next generation of transportation innovators and serves as the online centerpiece of the Iowa Transportation Museum, currently in development in Grinnell. More

 

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