George R. Bolling: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 15:14, 22 July 2021
George R. Bolling I | |
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Born | George Richard Bolling August 4, 1920 |
Died | March 22, 2007 | (aged 86)
Resting place | Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California |
Alma mater | Hampton Institute |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1942–1961 |
George Richard Bolling I (August 4, 1920 - March 22, 2007) was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the famed Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots.[1] He was one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[2]
Early Life
Bolling was born on August 4, 1920 at the Hampton Institutein Hampton, Virginia.[3] He was the son of Edward A. Bolling Sr. (25 Jun 1884 - 20 May 1958) and Georgia A. Bridgeforth Bolling (Jan 1885 - 23 May 1946) of Lunenburg County, Virginia who married in 1916.[4]
Bolling had three siblings: brother Roscoe Howard Bolling (January 30, 1924 - January 30, 1924 -died in childbirth), sister Gladys Bolling Fletcher (May 6, 1922 - April 20, 2007), a Hampton Institute and Atlanta University-trained school librarian, and brother Edward Alfonzo Bolling Jr. (February 11, 1918 - Dec. 17, 1997), an agriculture engineering instructor/17-year manager of Hampton Institute's campus farm and U.S. international agricultural advisor to the federal government.[5] [6][7][8]
Bolling attended all-black Whittier Elementary and George P. Phenix High School in Hampton, Virginia.[9] After graduating from high school, Bolling majored in engineering at Hampton Institute(now Hampton University), graduating in 1940.[10][11]
Bolling married Dolores Bolling (July 25, 1924 - Feb. 22, 2014) of Apalochicola, Florida. Raised in Tallahassee, Florida, Dolores completed a Bachelor's Degree at Florida A & M University where she pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Dolores relocated to Columbus, Ohio to live with Bolling who was stationed at Columbus Air Force Base. While in Columbus, Dolores earned a Masters in Biology at Ohio State University. As the U.S. Air Force reassigned Bolling, the Bollings relocated throughout the U.S and and Japan. After the family relocated to San Jose, California, Dolores taught Biology at Sheppard Middle School for eight years.[12]
Bolling and Dolores had three sons: George R. "Ricky" Bolling II (Died 2009), John Raymond Bolling, and Frank Daniel Bolling (1963 – July 12 2004).[13][14]ref> The Mercury News. "Cassidy: Long-overdue medal for Tuskegee Airman from San Jose." MIKE CASSIDY, Bay Area News Group. PUBLISHED: March 30, 2007.UPDATED: August 14, 2016. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/03/30/cassidy-long-overdue-medal-for-tuskegee-airman-from-san-jose/ </ref> They also had one granddaughter, Francine M. Bolling.[15]
Military Career, Tuskegee Airmen
Bolling left Hampton Institute after being recruited into the U.S. Army Air Corps.[16] On July 3, 1942, Bolling graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School's Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-42-F, receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.[17] After graduation, the U.S. Army Air Corps assigned Bolling to the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron.[18]
During combat missions, Bolling was shot down twice – once ditching in the Mediterranean, where he was rescued after three days.[19]
In 1961, Bolling retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of Major.[20]
Post-Military Career
After leaving the U.S. Air Force, Bolling joined the U.S. Postal Service in San Jose, California, working there for 20 years.[21]
.==Death==
Bolling passed away on March 22, 2007 in San Jose, California.[22] He was interred at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.[23]
See also
- Executive Order 9981
- List of Tuskegee Airmen
- List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes
- Military history of African Americans
References
- ^ Caf Rise Above. "Herbert Vanallen Clark." https://cafriseabove.org/robert-ashby/
- ^ "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Daily Press. "FORMER TUSKEGEE AIRMAN RETURNS." JUDITH MALVEAUX, Daily Press. https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20000814-2000-08-14-0008140067-story.html
- ^ Legacy. "Obituary: Gladys Bolling Fletcher." https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dailypress/name/gladys-fletcher-obituary?pid=87581510
- ^ Ancestry. https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/roscoe-howard-bolling-24-r3xc0m
- ^ Legacy. "Obituary: Gladys Bolling Fletcher." https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dailypress/name/gladys-fletcher-obituary?pid=87581510
- ^ Daily Press. "Obituary: EDWARD A. BOLLING JR." December 11, 1997. https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-19971219-1997-12-19-9712190086-story.html
- ^ People Legacy. EDWARD ALFONZO BOLLING, JR https://peoplelegacy.com/edward_alfonzo_bolling__jr-1=0H4a
- ^ Daily Press. "FORMER TUSKEGEE AIRMAN RETURNS." JUDITH MALVEAUX, Daily Press. https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20000814-2000-08-14-0008140067-story.html
- ^ The Mercury News. "Cassidy: Long-overdue medal for Tuskegee Airman from San Jose." MIKE CASSIDY, Bay Area News Group. PUBLISHED: March 30, 2007.UPDATED: August 14, 2016. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/03/30/cassidy-long-overdue-medal-for-tuskegee-airman-from-san-jose/
- ^ National Hampton University Alumni Association. Raleigh Chapter - North Carolina. SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 2012. "Hampton's Influence on Tuskegee: Hampton's Heroes - Hamptonian Tuskegee Airmen and the History of Hampton's Influence on Tuskegee." JANUARY 15, 2012. https://nhaaraleigh.blogspot.com/2012/01/hamptons-influence-on-tuskegee.html
- ^ Find a Grave. "Mrs Dolores Jenkins Bolling." https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125634869/dolores-bolling
- ^ Find a Grave. "Mrs Dolores Jenkins Bolling." https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125634869/dolores-bolling
- ^ Legacy. Obituary: "George Richard Bolling." https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mercurynews/name/george-bolling-obituary?pid=86913835
- ^ Legacy. Obituary: "George Richard Bolling." https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mercurynews/name/george-bolling-obituary?pid=86913835
- ^ The Mercury News. "Cassidy: Long-overdue medal for Tuskegee Airman from San Jose." MIKE CASSIDY, Bay Area News Group. PUBLISHED: March 30, 2007.UPDATED: August 14, 2016. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/03/30/cassidy-long-overdue-medal-for-tuskegee-airman-from-san-jose/
- ^ CAF Rise Above. "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster." https://cafriseabove.org/the-tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-roster/ . This data derives from Caf Rise Above's research project compiling data from Tuskegee Airmen historians including the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- ^ The Mercury News. "Cassidy: Long-overdue medal for Tuskegee Airman from San Jose." MIKE CASSIDY, Bay Area News Group. PUBLISHED: March 30, 2007.UPDATED: August 14, 2016. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/03/30/cassidy-long-overdue-medal-for-tuskegee-airman-from-san-jose/
- ^ The Mercury News. "Cassidy: Long-overdue medal for Tuskegee Airman from San Jose." MIKE CASSIDY, Bay Area News Group. PUBLISHED: March 30, 2007.UPDATED: August 14, 2016. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/03/30/cassidy-long-overdue-medal-for-tuskegee-airman-from-san-jose/
- ^ The Mercury News. "Cassidy: Long-overdue medal for Tuskegee Airman from San Jose." MIKE CASSIDY, Bay Area News Group. PUBLISHED: March 30, 2007.UPDATED: August 14, 2016. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/03/30/cassidy-long-overdue-medal-for-tuskegee-airman-from-san-jose/
- ^ The Mercury News. "Cassidy: Long-overdue medal for Tuskegee Airman from San Jose." MIKE CASSIDY, Bay Area News Group. PUBLISHED: March 30, 2007.UPDATED: August 14, 2016. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/03/30/cassidy-long-overdue-medal-for-tuskegee-airman-from-san-jose/
- ^ Legacy. Obituary: "George Richard Bolling." https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mercurynews/name/george-bolling-obituary?pid=86913835
- ^ Legacy. Obituary: "George Richard Bolling." https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/mercurynews/name/george-bolling-obituary?pid=86913835