Retired Lt. Col. Harold Brown, former Tuskegee pilot, will visit Urbana University on April 7 to discuss the role he and other black men played in WWII. All are invited to this program sponsored by the Champaign Aviation Museum, Hillman and Associates and Urbana University. The program is scheduled for 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Student Center’s Sara Landess Hall.
As one of the 992 Tuskegee pilots, Brown, now 95, represents the elite group of African American pilots and support personnel who fought for the right to fly in WWII, playing a significant role in the integration of the military. Brown will be joined by his wife, Marsha Bordner, while sharing his story in an effort to inspire others to persevere in the face of obstacles.
The presentation will include a video and a question and answer segment, followed by a book signing.
For more information, contact Tammy Leiker, UU director of Alumni Relations & Development, at [email protected] or 937-772.9246.
About Brown
At a young age, a determined Harold Brown envisioned himself as a pilot. Years later, Lt. Col. Brown fulfilled that dream, serving in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman. After receiving his initial flight training at the segregated U.S. Army Air Corps base in Tuskegee, Alabama, he was stationed overseas in Ramitelli, Italy, with the responsibility of protecting bombers on their missions.
During their tenure in Europe, the Tuskegee Airmen were so successful that they were nicknamed “The Red Tails” and “Red Tailed Angels” because few bombers were lost during their missions. In the height of Brown’s time of service, he was held in a German prisoner of war camp after his P-51 Mustang was shot down over enemy territory. His military tenure continued after WWII, concluding in 1965 after 23 years of service. He had a successful career in higher education and later founded Brown & Associates, an educational consulting firm.
