Dr. Roscoe Conkling Brown Jr. (March 9, 1922 – July 2, 2016) was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and a squadron commander of the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group.[1]
Roscoe Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown speaks at the dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen Bus Depot of MTA Regional Bus. | |
| Born | March 9, 1922 Washington, D.C., US |
| Died | July 2, 2016 (aged 94) Bronx, New York, US |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | Army Air Corps |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group |
| Conflict | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Brown was born in Washington, D.C., in 1922.[2][3] His mother was a teacher and his father, Roscoe C. Brown Sr. (1884–1963), was a dentist and an official in the United States Public Health Service[4] who was born as George Brown and had changed his name to honor Roscoe Conkling, a strong supporter of the rights of African Americans during Reconstruction. His mother was the former Vivian Kemp, a teacher.[2]
Brown graduated from Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was valedictorian of the Class of 1943.[5] He joined the U.S. Army, and graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School on March 12, 1944, as member of class 44-C-SE[1]
During combat with the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe during World War II, he served as a flight leader and operations officer. On a March 24, 1945, mission to Berlin, Captain Brown shot down a German Me 262 jet fighter, becoming the first 15th Air Force pilot to shoot down a jet. On March 31, he downed a Fw 190 fighter.[6][7] He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[8]
He was appointed commander in June 1945, which was after VE Day (May 8, 1945).
After the war, Brown resumed his education. His doctoral dissertation at New York University[8] was on exercise physiology.[9]
Brown became a professor at New York University and directed the NYU Institute of Afro-American Affairs (now the Institute of African American Affairs) in 1950.[10] Brown hosted The Soul of Reason, a radio talk show with interviewees which included politicians, professional athletes, medical professionals, and contemporary artists, which aired between 1971 and 1986.[11] Brown also hosted Black Arts (1970–71)[12] and CUNY TV show African American Legends.[10] Brown was President of Bronx Community College from 1977 to 1993 and director for the Center for Education Policy at the City University of New York.[2] Among his many distinguished awards, honors, and recognitions, he was elected into the National Academy of Kinesiology (née American Academy of Physical Education)[13] in 1971 as an Associate Fellow.[14] In 1992, Brown received an honorary doctor of humanics degree from his alma mater, Springfield College.
On March 29, 2007, Brown attended a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol rotunda, where he and the other Tuskegee Airmen were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service.[15]
He was also a member and past president of the 100 Black Men of America New York Chapter.[16] and professor of Urban Education at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Brown died on July 2, 2016, at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. at the age of 94.[2][17][18] He had resided in Riverdale in his latter years.[19] His ashes were interred at Arlington National Cemetery on what would have been his 95th birthday, March 9, 2017.[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Tuskegee University's Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Listing. Retrieved 2012-01-21 Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (July 7, 2016). "Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., 94, Tuskegee Airman and Political Confidant". New York Times. p. A17. Archived from the original on 6 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ^ "Roscoe C. Brown". thehistorymakers.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ^ The History Makers Archived 2011-06-17 at the Wayback Machine Biography of Captain Brown
- ^ Interview: Dr Roscoe Brown, Tuskegee Airman and Squadron Commander Archived 2022-01-23 at the Wayback Machine claytonperry.com
- ^ "Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. - Military Biography". Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
- ^ "Roscoe Brown, Jr. Biography". Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
- ^ a b "Saying farewell to an American hero: Roscoe Brown Jr". The New York Post. July 5, 2016. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
- ^ Pilot and edicator Roscoe C Brown Keystone College
- ^ a b "Famed Tuskegee Airman and educator, Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Jr. passes at 94". amsterdamnews.com. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
- ^ "Guide to the Records of the Institute of African American Affairs RG.9.8". dlib.nyu.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-02-12.
- ^ Heitner, Devorah (2013). Black power TV. Durham. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-8223-5409-3. OCLC 816030807. Archived from the original on 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Cardinal, Bradley J. (2022). "The National Academy of Kinesiology: Its founding, focus, and future". Kinesiology Review. 11 (1): 6–25. doi:10.1123/kr.2021-0064.
- ^ The American Academy of Physical Education (1971). "The Academy Welcomes to Associate Fellowship". The Academy Papers. 5: 89.
- ^ "WWII black pilots, Tuskegee Airmen, get top civilian honor" Archived 2011-06-29 at the Wayback Machine William Douglas. McClatchy Newspapers, March 30, 2007.
- ^ Roscoe C Brown, Jr Facebook
- ^ "Longtime NYC educator, WWII hero, Roscoe Brown dead at 94". New York Daily News. 4 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-07-06. Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- ^ World War II Hero Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Dies at 94 Archived 2016-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Sixty years later, Congress honors Tuskegee Airmen" Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine William Douglas. McClatchy Newspapers, March 15, 2007.
- ^ "Brown, Roscoe C". ANCExplorer. U.S. Army. Archived from the original on 2020-10-16. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
External links
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