Farnsworth Aerospace School, a pre-K through eighth grade school focused on aerospace and engineering, had been visited by original Tuskegee Airmen pilot Colonel Kenneth Wofford many times over the years. He would often have lunch with students, speak to them about his career in aerospace and emphasize the importance of education.
The mural, painted by Minneapolis artist Lili Payne, was originally commissioned by the Air Force Association in 2014 to commemorate Wofford, who died in September 2010 at the age of 87. The mural is on loan from the group and now proudly displayed in the Farnsworth Aerospace 5-8 grade auditorium to inspire all students to reach for the stars every day.
Wofford, who was born in Oklahoma and raised in Missouri, did not fly in World War II, as the war ended just before he was about to be shipped out to conduct missions near Japan. He later flew missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars. After 32 years of service in the U.S. Air Force, Wofford settled in the Twin Cities and worked at the Minnesota Department of Transportation as a manager in the Department of Aeronautics.