Roscoe Brown
| Roscoe Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown speaks at the dedication of the Tuskeege Airmen Bus Depot of MTA Regional Bus. | |
| Born |
March 9, 1922 Washington, D.C. |
| Died |
July 2, 2016 (aged 94) Riverdale, New York |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | Army Air Corps |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group |
| Conflict | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
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. He graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School on March 12, 1944 as member of class 44-C-SE[1] and served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in Europe during World War II. During this period, Captain Brown shot down an advanced German Me-262 jet fighter and a FW-190 fighter.[2][3] He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.[4] Brown was born in Washington, D.C. in 1922.[5][6] His father, Roscoe C. Brown, Sr. (1884–1963), was a dentist and an official in the United States Public Health Service[7] 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 Berry, a teacher.[5]
Prior to his wartime service, he graduated from Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was valedictorian of the Class of 1943.[8]
After the war, Captain Brown resumed his education. His doctoral dissertation was on exercise physiology[9] and he became a professor at New York University and directed their Institute of Afro-American Affairs. He was President of Bronx Community College from 1977 to 1993 and then director for the Center for Education Policy at the City University of New York.[10] 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 collectively, not individually, were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service.[11]
He was also a member and past president of the 100 Black Men of America New York Chapter.[12] 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.[5][13][14] He had resided in Riverdale in his latter years.[15]
References
- ↑ Tuskegee University's Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Listing. Retrieved 2012-01-21
- ↑ Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. - Military Biography
- ↑ Roscoe Brown, Jr. Biography
- ↑ http://nypost.com/2016/07/05/saying-farewell-to-an-american-hero-roscoe-brown-jr/
- 1 2 3 Roberts, Sam (July 7, 2016). "Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., 94, Tuskegee Airman and Political Confidant". New York Times. p. A17. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ↑ "Roscoe C. Brown". thehistorymakers.com. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
- ↑ The History Makers Biography of Captain Brown
- ↑ Interview: Dr Roscoe Brown, Tuskegee Airman and Squadron Commander claytonperry.com
- ↑ Pilot and edicator Roscoe C Brown Keystone College
- ↑ Roberts, Sam (July 7, 2016). "Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., 94, Tuskegee Airman and Political Confidant". New York Times. p. A17. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
- ↑ "WWII black pilots, Tuskegee Airmen, get top civilian honor" William Douglas. McClatchy Newspapers, March 30, 2007.
- ↑ Roscoe C Brown, Jr Facebook
- ↑ "Longtime NYC educator, WWII hero, Roscoe Brown dead at 94". Retrieved 2016-07-05.
- ↑ World War II Hero Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Dies at 94
- ↑ "Sixty years later, Congress honors Tuskegee Airmen" William Douglas. McClatchy Newspapers, March 15, 2007.
