Luke J. Weathers: Difference between revisions

Luke J. Weathers Jr.
Born	Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr. December 16, 1920 Grenada, Mississippi, US
Died	February 9, 1984(1984-02-09) (aged 62) Tucson, Arizona, US
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Alma mater	Xavier University, Lane College
Occupations	Military officer fighter pilot
Years active	1943–1985

Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., (December 16, 1920 – October 15, 2011) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer, historic African American air traffic controller and prolific World War II combat fighter pilot with the prodigious 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots. One of the most high-profile Tuskegee Airmen, Weathers earned a Distinguished Flying Cross with seven clusters and Purple Heart for his aerial heroics vigorously defending and escorting a damaged U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 Liberator bomber against 8 enemy Nazi German Messerschmitt 109s on November 16, 1944, shooting down two Messerschmitt 109s. ref> Together We Served. “Roll of Honor - U.S. Air Force - Deceased -Weathers, Luke Joseph, Jr., Lt Col, USAAF Veteran.” https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=161614 </ref>

On June 25, 1945, the City of Memphis, Tennessee and 22,000 people honored Weathers with a “Luke Weathers Day” parade on Memphis’ famous Beale Street and a key to the city, the first ever parade for an African American in the then-racially segregated Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1960, Weathers became the first ever African American Air Traffic Controller, working at his hometown Memphis International Airport.

Early Life

Weathers was born on December 16, 1920, in Grenada, Mississippi. He was the son of Luke Joseph Weathers Sr., a mixed race African American, and Jessie Weathers. The family later moved to Memphis, Tennessee where both parents worked in a grocery store.

Weathers attended Memphis, Tennessee’s Booker T. Washington high school, where he was the star quarterback on its football team. After graduating from high school in 1939, Weathers attended Xavier University in New Orleans from 1939 to 1942. He later transferred to Lane College where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology.

At his “Carl J. Weathers Jr.” parade in June 1947, Weathers met LaVerne Nailling (November 20, 1925 - February 26, 1999). On July 13, 1947, they married at Memphis, Tennessee’s St. Therese-Little Flowers Catholic Church. Their ceremony was photographed by Ernest Withers, one of the most prolific civil rights movement photographers besides Gordon Parks. Weathers and LeVerna had five children. He later transferred to Lane College where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. They also had 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

On February 14, 1995, Weathers married his 2nd wife, Jacqueline Weathers. They remained married until Weathers' passing in 2011.

Military Service, Tuskegee Airmen, Heroics

After college, Weathers returned home to Memphis, Tennessee where he made a formal appointment to meet with his mother’s employer, Memphis, Tennessee’s infamous Democratic political boss E.H. Crump (October 2, 1874 – October 16, 1954) (“Boss” Crump), the most dominant political force in Memphis for most of the early 20th century. Weathers wished to discuss with Boss Crump an article Weathers read in an African American newspaper advertising the U.S. Army Air Corps’ newly-minted aviation cadet training program in Tuskegee, Alabama. Incredulous, Boss Crump immediately called President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt and, frequently referring to Weathers with the pejorative N-Word, sponsored Weathers for the aviation program.

On April 29, 1943, Weathers graduated as a member of the Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-43-D, receiving his silver wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.

Weathers earned a Distinguished Flying Cross with seven clusters and Purple Heart for his aerial heroics vigorously defending and escorting a damaged U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 Liberator bomber against 8 enemy Nazi German Messerschmitt 109s on November 16, 1944, shooting down two Messerschmitt 109s

During one bombing mission, Weathers flew so close to the ground that he almost inadvertently dropped his entire bomb payload on a wedding. He pulled his plane up after noticing a distressing look on the bride’s face.

After the end of World War II in Europe, the U.S. Army Air Corps transferred Weathers, newly promoted to Captain, to Tuskegee where he served as a flight instructor. On VE Day on August 18, 1945, Weathers introduced Colonel (and later General) Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Weathers’ former commanding officer, during a special ceremony celebrating Japan's unconditional surrender in the Pacific.

For his heroics in World War II, the City of Memphis, Tennessee and 22,000 people on June 25, 1945 honored Weathers with a key to the city, a “Luke J. Weathers Day” parade and official dance on Memphis’ famous Beale Street and a key to the city, an honor never previously given to an African American in Memphis. Guests included Weathers’ parents, Jessie Weathers and Luke Weathers Sr.,, and Weathers’ uncle William.

In 1985, Weathers retired as a Lt. Colonel from the U.S. Air Force.

Unit Assignments

• 1944–1945, 332nd Fighter Group

Combat and Non-Combat Operations

• 1942–1945, World War II
• 1944–1944, WWII - European Theater of Operations/Anzio Campaign (1944)
• 1945–1945, WWII - European Theater of Operations/North Apennines Campaign (1944-45)

Honors

• Pinnacle Airlines named its 100th completed aircraft, “The Spirit of Beale Street”, in honor of Weathers and the city of Memphis.
• In 2004, The Pentagon unveiled a portrait of Weathers escorting the damaged U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 Liberator bomber to safety during World War II.
• In 2007, Weathers and the collective Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Post-Military Career, Historic Air Traffic Controller Career

After leaving the military, Weathers worked for the Philip Morris International and the Royal Crown Company. He later transferred to Lane College where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. In the 1960s, Weathers joined the Federal Aviation Administration, becoming the first African American air traffic controller, working at his hometown Memphis, Tennessee airport in 1965. Weathers also worked as an air traffic controller in Anchorage, Alaska, Galena, Alaska, Nashville, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C.

He also owned a coin-operated laundry, a flight school, and a vocational rehabilitation program for veterans.

Weathers later moved to Tucson, Arizona to be closer to his grandchildren.

Death, George Lucas' Red Tails

On October 15, 2011, Weathers passed away of pneumonia iin Tucson, Arizona. He was 90 years old. He was 90 years old. His funeral was held at Memphis, Tennesee’s St. Therese-Little Flower, the church he and his first wife LaVerne integrated in 1963.

On January 20, 2012, Weathers was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Plot Section 64 Site 64-2. Against the backdrop of the Pentagon and a four-jet flyover by the 113th Wing of the D.C. Capital Guardians in “missing man” F-16 jet formation, the U.S. Air Force Honor Guardand white horse-drawn carriage carried Weathers’ flag-draped casket amid a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.”

Famed movie producer and director George Lucas’ Tuskegee Airmen-themed major motion picture, Red Tails, opened in theaters nationwide the same day Weathers was interred.

See also

• Executive Order 9981
• List of Tuskegee Airmen
• List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes
• Military history of African Americans

External links

• Luke J. Weathers at Find a Grave