Veteran and pilot Eric Poole to deliver convocation at Carleton College

Veteran and pilot Eric Poole will deliver Carleton’s convocation address on Friday, Feb. 3 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. In his address, Poole will outline how he—a Black and Korean biracial orphan—came to be inducted into the University of North Dakota’s Aerospace Hall of Fame in 2022, and speak on how community impacts the life and survival of an individual.

Poole was born in Uijeongbu, South Korea, a village just south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. His childhood was fraught with death and trauma, as he traveled from his young mother’s care to an orphanage before ending up in New Hope, Minn. with an unwelcoming adoptive family. After years of couch surfing as a teenager, he finally found a home in 11th grade with the family of his friend and football teammate Chuck Poole, whose last name he also adopted. Years later, Eric Poole traveled back to South Korea with longtime friend Benjamin Percy, who published a feature article in Men’s Journal on Poole’s life story and the discoveries the two made about his past.

Poole graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Aerospace Sciences with a degree in aeronautics and minors in space studies and meteorology. He joined the Navy after college as a surface warfare engineering officer/operations and test control officer. Poole continued his career in aviation as a commercial pilot and is beginning his 18th year as a chief pilot and captain for JetBlue, where he flies an Airbus 320/321.

Carleton convocations are free and open to the public. Find upcoming events and archived recordings on the convocations website. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-5461 or email nponder@carleton.edu.