More Heroes

An incredibly conscientious driver, Richard “Dick” Saunders worked as a loyal employee of the Grinnell Newburg Community School District for more than 48 years.

You know him as Mark Twain, but few are aware of the steamboat pilot who spent much of his time on the river.

As transit manager for the Western Iowa Transit System, Feldman helps keep the people of Iowa connected by providing 250,000 rides each year for people in the rural areas of western Iowa.

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.

“This is our country and we’re going to see it,” Reed said. As an African American in the 1950s that was easier said than done, since racial prejudices led most hotel owners to refuse African American patrons. And so Reed opened the Sepia Motel in 1953 as one of the first hotels in the country that was open to people of all races and religions.

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.

Robert Groves spent most of his adult life doing one thing that was near and dear to his heart: ensuring that the children of Iowa made it to school and back safely.

Not that many twenty-year-olds would have the audacity to start their own business. But that is exactly what Thomas Easton did when he co-founded and served as chief engineer for the Bee Aircraft Company in 1939, which produced low-cost airplanes.

Thousands of residents throughout Cedar Rapids owe Robert Rathbun a debt of gratitude for making sure their buses ran on schedule.

A transportation career spanning four decades took Davis from laborer to vice president.

This Iowa native made his country proud in the U.S. Navy before returning home to keep roads clear for fellow Iowans.

If you have a question about the Mississippi river, Dr. William Peterson is the man you want to ask. The noted writer and historian travelled more than 20,000 miles up and down the Mississippi river studying the relationship between the river and the people who live and work on its banks.

Ann is an accomplished pilot, airplane builder and restorer, as well as an author. The life of Amelia Earhart is her passion.

Eliot was well-known across the state of Iowa for unwavering dedication to train service, especially passenger trains.  He worked for over 25 years promoting passenger train service in Iowa with Rob Norton.

Keith Miller served the North Mahaska Community School District, New Sharon, Iowa for 44 years. His route was 38 miles long and he stopped at farm homes picking up 50 plus kids every day.

Floyd Pine piloted customers form southeast Iowa to cities throughout the United States t purchase automobiles and aircraft. Serving in both the Iowa Senate and the House he was instrumental in obtaining local, state and federal funding for building local airfields and hangers.

Hazel has been up in the air since she was three months old. With her first husband, Glen, she turned building model airplanes as a hobby into Sig Manufacturing.

Rhinehart Contractors, later known as Rhineharts Inc., beautified Iowa roadways with erosion control work on newly constructed highways for over 40 years. 

After establishing his career and family it was time to make dreams a reality. After twenty-five years of antique car collecting and car activities Pat read a four sentence article in Old Cars newspaper about a company in London, England, which was organizing the premier auto event of the 2000 millennium year. This event was the Around the World in 80 Days Motor Challenge which was a competitive rally beginning in London, Engla More

Communication technology plays a major role in the world of transportation today. Information and technology affect transportation directly and indirectly in an enormous number of ways. 

Neta was a very early aviation pioneer. She became a flight instructor and eventually taught Amelia Earhat how to Fly. On January 3, 1921, she gave Earhart her first flying lesson. Neta owned and operated herown commercial airfield.

Returning from World War I Jacob Stevens continued to make hisotry by working on the paving of the famous Lincoln Higway. It was during this time that rural areas began to improve thei road systes through support by the federal government.

In 1993, Michael J. Manatt oversaw the development of equipment that would revolutionize the highway construction industry.

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.’

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.

This engineer modernized traffic safety with state-of-the-art software that identifies and analyzes crashes that occur along Iowa’s roadways.

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.’

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.

Nicknamed the “Birdman of the Prairie” by his home town friends from Grinnell, Billy Cornelius Robinson began his career in aviation early in high school.  Billy built his first glider from scraps found at the Fix-It-Shop where he worked after school.  

Born in Vermont in 1846, Henry Spaulding built his first buggy at the age of 19 in Chelsea, Vermont.  Hooking two buggies together, Henry set out to sell them.  This was the origin of what became known as the trailing system.

At the age of 19, Jim, a Cedar Rapids, IA native, worked with a team of Honeywell engineers to design and package the Stabilization and Control System for the command capsule of NASA’s Apollo program (1965-1966).

Lorenzo Coffin took on the American Railroad insdustry promoting safety issues the railroad companies ignored. His most notable work was designing the train car coupler

Paul Crouse was a relentless worker for safety in the trucking industry as one of the developers of the No Passing Sign on the left side of the highways.A trucking industry pioneer and a founder of he Iowa Motor Truck Association, Crouse began his career in 1929 haulding eggs and butter to Sioux City. By 1982 Crouse Cartage Company had become the largest Iowa-based trucking company and also had the greatest number of Allied Van Lines brances in the nation. 

Manatt's Inc. began in 1958 following successfull years as individual companies operated by brothers Junie, Carl and Merlin that dated back to 1947. Merlin worked hand in hand with his employees to develop methods still used today in their business to install sub-drain along state and county roads allowing road beds to drain better. One of those employees, Jack Gustafson who began working for the company in 1957, nominated Merlin as a Heroe of Industry and Technology More

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.

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.

Working for the Iowa Department of Transportation, Doug Heidke helped plow roads and keep up the highways across the state.

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.

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.

Capain Phillipsheroic action brought to center stage the major problem of piracy on the seas near Somalia and the need for countries to provide protection for the shipping industry. Phillips offered himself as a hostage in lieu ofhis crew. 

Captain Phillips spoke to officials of the Maersk Line, who quoted him as saying: “The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who have brought me home.”