The 42nd annual Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. National Convention, held from July 31 to Aug. 2, highlighted the contributions of the men and women who were part of the “Tuskegee Experience” in World War II. Ultimately, the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen helped lead to the integration of the military in 1948.
The convention culminated with a gala at the Union Station Doubletree Hotel. One of the attendants, Brigadier General Stayce D. Harris, of Alexandria, Va., was the first African-American female pilot to become a general in the U.S. Air Force.
“Everything I’ve done in my career has been to make the Tuskegee Airmen proud because they paved the way for me to even possibly be here,” Harris said. “The whole time I was going through pilot training I always thought, ‘I don’t have it half as tough as the Airmen did.”
This year, there were four nominees for the Brigadier General Noel F. Parrish award, the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. The award went to (Ret.) Jerry Burton, public relations officer for the Eastern region Coast Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. chapter.
“This year’s theme of ‘Bridge to the Past – Gateway to the Future’ is not merely a set of words we placed on a t-shirt,” said Marv Abrams, central region president of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and gala host, “but it’s hopefully a continuation of our goals and objectives for the future.”
Among the 250 gala attendees included Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. President Leon A. Johnson, Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen, widows and family members. R&B singer and songwriter Lenny Williams provided entertainment.
Earlier that day, the convention hosted its youth program for more than 100 youth, ages 11 to 17, to gain exposure to aviation and aerospace careers. The program’s highlights included a tour of Boeing and a youth luncheon featuring guest speaker St. Louis-native Tyrell Rhodes, a 19-year-old licensed pilot. Rhodes spoke of the medical challenges he has faced in his life as a child with cerebral palsy. Last month, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. His dream has always been to become a fighter pilot but is now studying to be an air traffic controller.
At the gala, Rhodes again stood at the podium expressing his gratitude for the Tuskegee Airmen paved the way. A silent auction was held, and three framed prints autographed by documented original Tuskegee Airmen raised $2,200 to benefit the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Scholarship Foundation and the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Youth Program.
“What I love most about the airmen is that it’s not about them,” Harris said, “It’s about the youth. It’s about laying the foundation for the youth and letting them know that they can be anything they want to become and that the airmen and everyone that supports the Tuskegee Airmen are behind our youth.”
