The new terminal building at Atlanta Municipal Airport was buzzing with activity in the late 1960s. The jet age had arrived, and in 1961, the $21 million facility became the largest single terminal in the country, designed to accommodate 6 million passengers each year. Phenola Culbreath, a stewardess for Delta Air Lines, hurried through the concourse to catch her outgoing flight. She had only been on the job for a few months, and she knew the importance of being on time and professional. As she approached Dobbs House restaurant, she turned to her left and saw a beautiful Black woman wearing the same uniform: a French blue crepe wool jacket with three-quarter length sleeves, a white blouse, pencil skirt and a “Delberet” hat with the Delta emblem on the side. “My mouth just fell open,” Culbreath said. “She was tall, she was regal, she was elegant … the ideal flight attendant.” Patricia Grace Murphy had been hired just three months before Culbreath, becoming the first Black woman to s...