Rose Agnes Rolls Cousins

Rose Agnes Rolls was born on March 26, 1920, to Ann Alberta (Thornton) Rolls and Theodore Emory Rolls Sr.^[1] Growing up in Fairmont, West Virginia, Rose was introduced to flying at an early age.^[2] Visiting pilots to Fairmont would charge a dollar for a ride in their planes, and six year old Rose rode in a biplane with her father. This experience sparked a lifelong love of flying.^[3]

Rolls attended Dunbar High School, and was able to graduate early due to her academic ability.^[1] Rolls began her studies at West Virginia State College (now University) at the age of sixteen, and majored in business administration.^[2]

While attending college at West Virginia State College, the school introduced a Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) in 1939. The school was one of only six historically Black secondary education institutions in the nation to establish one of these programs, which were federally funded.^[4] Rose Rolls was the only woman to join.

Initially, the director of the program, James C. Evans, was inclined to deny Rolls entry into the CPTP due to her gender. Due to her steady persistence, Evans eventually wrote several letters to government officials asking if one woman could join the program. Rolls was permitted to join, provided she could pass the same mental and physical exams as her male colleagues.^[3] She reportedly told the instructor, "I'll just put my hair up and you can pretend I'm a man."^[2]

During her training with the CPTP, Rolls learned to put the plane into a spin, land with the engine off, and fly upside down, all of which she completed successfully.^[2]

One requirement for a pilot's license under CPTP was to complete a solo cross-country flight using only compass and sights as guides. Rolls successfully flew from Fairmont to Parkersburg, West Virginia in strong winds.^[3]

Rolls received her pilot's license upon her graduation, officially becoming the first African American woman licensed under the CPTP.^[3] After her graduation, she continued to assist with the program.^[5]

In 1941, the eleven graduates from West Virginia State College's pilot training program (ten male pilots and Rose Rolls) tried out for the U.S. Air Force training program for African American combat pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama. Those selected became popularly known as the Tuskegee Airmen.^[3]

During the war, Rolls faced double discrimination. She was denied entry into a combat role with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II due to her gender. She then tried to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), a paramilitary aviation organization, but was rejected due to her race.^[5]