July 28, 2009 Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II (Rev. Ike), minister and evangelist, died. Rev. Ike was born June 1, 1935 in Ridgeland, South Carolina. He began his career as a teenage preacher. After serving the United States Air Force, he founded the United Church of Jesus Christ for All People in Beaufort, South Carolina, the […]
Tag Archives | Air Force
July 4th in African American History – Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr.
July 4, 2002 Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr., commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen, died. Davis was born December 18, 1912 in Washington, D. C. After attending the University of Chicago, Davis entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1932. Despite shunning by his classmates, never having a roommate, and being […]
Lloyd George Richards – June 29th in African American History
June 29, 1919 Lloyd George Richards, theater actor, director and educator, was born in Toronto, Canada, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. Richards earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University in 1944 and then became one of the first black military pilots while serving in the United States Air Force during World War […]
April 15th in African American History – Harold Lee Washington
April 15, 1922 Harold Lee Washington, the first and only African American Mayor of Chicago, was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in Bronzeville, the epicenter of black culture in Chicago. After service in the United States Army Air Force from 1942 to 1945, Washington earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Roosevelt College […]
Wilson Camanza Riles – April 1st in African American History
April 1, 1999 Wilson Camanza Riles, the first African American to be elected to statewide office in California, died. Riles was born June 27, 1917 near Alexandria, Louisiana. He graduated from Northern Arizona State University in 1940 and served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. In 1971, Riles was elected […]
March 21st in African American History – John William “Johnny” Bristol
March 21, 2004 John William “Johnny” Bristol, musician, songwriter and record producer, died. Bristol was born February 3, 1939 in Morganton, North Carolina. After serving in the United States Air Force, Bristol recorded several singles before his label was absorbed by Motown Records in the mid-1960s. At Motown, he teamed with Harvey Fuqua to write […]
February 11th in African American History – Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr.
February 11, 1920 Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr., the first African American to achieve the rank of General, was born in Pensacola, Florida. James earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Tuskegee Institute in 1942. During World War II, he trained pilots but during the Korean War he flew 101 combat missions. In 1957, James graduated […]