Black Pilots of America, Inc. - Washington Chapter - A 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization
THE FUTURE THRUST AWARDS
12th Future Thrust Awards
December 5, 2026
5:30 pm
Renton Technical College
3000 NE 4th St.
Renton, WA 98056
Every year, we revel in the success of the Red-Tailed Hawks Youth Program and celebrate Future Thrust Award Honorees for their efforts to Thrust young people into their Futures.
The Future Thrust Awards are designed to honor individuals for outstanding service to others. The focus is on those that offer a hand-up to the generations that follow them. Future Thrust Awards recognize people that demonstrate an affinity for youth programs, education and career development.
The Future Thrust Award honorees are celebrated annually and presented by the Red-Tailed Hawks Flying Club, which is charted by Black Pilots of America, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. This fundraising social event supports the RTH Youth Program and the BPA “Les Morris” Summer Flight Academy.
HONOREES
Deanna Marshall, Central Washington University, for propelling Youth Programs
Deanna Marshall is the Program Manager for Northwest Earth and Space Sciences Pathways
(NESSP), a NASA grant-funded program hosted by the Physics Department at Central Washington University (CWU). NESSP’s mission is to bring NASA science via outreach, teacher professional development, and student engagement activities to grades K-12 in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
Prior to joining NESSP, Ms. Marshall was the advisor and recruiter for CWU’s Physics Department from September 2015 to February 2022. As the principal point of contact for college, career, and academic advising for pre-college through undergraduate-level students, she was instrumental in helping students pursue degrees and careers in physics, engineering, and astronomy.
Her outreach and recruiting duties allowed her to meet with students in all levels of the K-16 pipeline throughout the state of Washington to discuss their interests, career aspirations, and educational goals.
Ms. Marshall was the Society of Physics and Astronomy Students Zone 17 Councilor from 2019 - 2025. During that time, she assisted Physics and Astronomy faculty, department chairs, and undergraduate students in bridging academics to STEM careers.
Ms. Marshall has recently completed an MS in Data Analytics at CWU and is looking to put her newly minted data analytical skills to use! She completed a graduate Information Systems program at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1999, and a BA in Communication from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1985.
Ms. Marshall’s love of planning unusual outreach activities includes leading the Physics Department’s annual Pumpkin drop. When she’s not dropping pumpkins from the rooftop of Discovery Hall, you can find Ms. Marshall chasing auroras at midnight with her husband, Bruce and hound, Nala.
Harvey Hawks, The Museum of Flight, for propelling Education
Harvey Hawks
Harvey Hawks lives in Newcastle, Washington and is currently a docent at The Museum of Flight, Seattle. He is also the Historian for the Sam Bruce Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
Mr. Hawks has exceptional commitment to educating the public about aviation history, leadership, perseverance and the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen. He works diligently to preserve and share the legacy of the pioneering African American military aviators whose courage and achievements helped transform both aviation and American society. Through his research, presentations, and community engagement, he ensures that these important stories
continue to inspire current and future generations. Mr. Hawks educates museum visitors of all ages, helping them understand the history, science, and human stories behind aviation and space exploration.
Mr. Hawks earned a B. S. in Aerospace Engineering from Tri-State University, Angola, Indiana and Professional Engineering license from Washington state. He worked in the U. S. Army Missile Project Office, General Dynamics, Pomona; Aircraft Structural Design on DC-8 and DC-10 at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. He moved to Boeing commercial airplane weight & balance analysis on the Super Sonic Transport (SST), B747 and B767 programs. He spent 15 years, until retirement in 1995, as a Customer Engineer coordinating foreign airline accounts.
Mr. Hawks has a strong interest in all aspects of aviation. His other hobbies include bowling, golf, sports cars (Corvette owner), airplanes (private pilot), travel and grandparenting. He is active in the Community of Christ church as a lay minister and teacher. Along with his wife, Ada, he raised three children and has eleven grandchildren.
Captain Louis L. Freeman, Southwest Airlines, for propelling Careers
In November 1980, Louis Freeman became Southwest Airlines’ first black pilot, and in 1992 he became the first black chief pilot of any major United States airline; however, his pioneering began much earlier. Captain Freeman attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas. In l967, Captain Freeman, his brother, and 8 others were the first black students to integrate the school. In his senior year, Captain Freeman was selected as the first Black student to serve as the ROTC Cadet Corps Commander. He went on to graduate from Texas A&M -Commerce University, where he was again the first Black Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Cadet Corps Commander.
Upon completing his USAF Pilot Training, he was assigned to the 454th Flying Training Squadron in Sacramento, California, where he excelled as an instructor pilot and was named Squadron Pilot of the Year. He left the Air Force in 1980 to pursue an airline career.
During his career, Captain Freeman was involved in several major events. In 2005, He headed the flight team that supported the Rosa Parks home-going celebrations. His team piloted Rosa Parks’ remains, family, and friends on her farewell tour. He then represented Southwest Airlines at the 2006 NAACP National Convention and at the Tuskegee
Airmen Congressional Gold Medal Ceremonies.
Captain Freeman’s leadership is far-reaching, as seen through his many initiatives: by serving as Chief Pilot for 1000 Chicago-based pilots for over 15 years, mentoring students and young pilots. He organized the Southwest Airlines 737 Type Rating Scholarships, which were awarded at the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals
Convention. In his retirement, he continues to be active, mentoring and serving on aviation advisory boards.
Captain Freeman vehemently believes in a philosophy of inspiring children to dream and helping others to fulfill their dreams. He kicked off the Southwest Airlines “Adopt-A- Pilot” program in Washington DC. With a dedicated focus on giving back to the community, or in Southwest Airlines lingo: “Share the Spirit,” Lou shared the spirit as a Southwest Airlines Employee for over 36 years. Captain Freeman retired from Southwest Airlines in June 2017.
After his retirement, Captain joined the Aviation Advisory Board at Texas Southern. Captain Freeman is also very active on the board of Tuskegee NEXT, an organization that selects highly motivated young adults from around the country and helps them obtain their Private Pilot License in just two months. All at no cost to them. During these
retirement years he also found time to be the Executive Director of Flight Operations at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. He has since left Lewis University in very capable hands in order to start traveling with
his extremely tolerant wife.
December 5, 2026
12th Future Thrust Awards
December 5, 2026
5:30 pm
Renton Technical College
3000 NE 4th St.
Renton, WA 98056