Greetings!

A key component of the mission of TAI Chicago is to perpetuate the historic legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

So it was with great joy that I addressed a joint meeting of two clubs at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles – the Aviation Club and the African American Club, for Black History Month. We showed the “Who Says Black Men Can’t Fly” video while the kids were gathering and eating pizza before the talk. 

Thanks to Bob Brutvan for setting this program up on behalf if his youngest son, who is a freshman at the school.

And speaking of outreach and things to celebrate, I hope you will join us at Bult Field on June 11 at noon for Aviation's Salute to Pioneering Colorful Women (see details below.) Be sure to bring your friends and family and to share the event with your network.

The sun is finally here, inviting us to enjoy the outdoors and take to the skies!
President
Chicago "DODO" Chapter
Tuskegee Airmen
Teammates and Trailblazers
Tuskegee Airman Roger Terry and
Baseball Legend Jackie Robinson
In 1941, Roger "Bill" Terry attended UCLA on an athletic scholarship. He played basketball and was the roommate of Jackie Robinson. Together, they made history.

Terry and Robinson were the first two blacks to play basketball in the Pacific Coast Conference. Robinson was also the leading scorer in the Southern Division of the Pacific Coast Conference for two years (1940, 1941).
After graduating college, Terry earned his pilot wings at Tuskegee (Feb.1, 1945) and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. Assigned to the all-black, 477th Bombardment Group, he, and members of his group were later transferred to Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana.

Jackie Robinson would also make history (April 15, 1947) by becoming the first black player in Major League Baseball in the modern era.

However, two years earlier than his former college roommate, Terry had also left an historical imprint.
In April 1945, while stationed at Freeman Field, he and more than 100 other black officers, were placed under "house arrest." They [had] refused to comply with an [illegal] newly implemented order, designating the "segregation" of officers' club(s).

Today, the incident (a/k/a "The Freeman Field Mutiny") is regarded as having significantly impacted President Harry Truman's decision, leading to the "Integration" of the U. S. Armed Services.

I got to meet Mr. Terry at a Tuskegee Airmen Convention. He died in 2009, at age 87.

From Zellie Rainey Orr
Historian and Author of Heroes in War- Heroes at Home: First Top Guns.

Aviation's Salute to Pioneering
Colorful Women
EAA Young Eagles Rallies Name Change
Please note that per the EAA, all Young Eagles rallies must now be officially designated as EAA Young Eagles rallies and not Tuskegee Airmen Young Eagles rallies.

The next Young Eagles rally that we will participate in will be Young Eagles at Bult Field on June 11, 2022, International Young Eagles Day. The name for the rallies we participate in are listed on the YEday.org website as Young Eagles at Bult Field. 

However, please note that since most of our volunteers are Tuskegee Airmen Volunteers, you will continue to be addressed as the Tuskegee Airmen Volunteer Team, since that's exactly who we are.

In simple terms: The Tuskegee Airmen name cannot appear with the EAA Young Eagles name. They are two separate entities. Please make a note of it.
If you have any questions or require further clarification, please reply. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Ken Rapier, Chief Pilot
Tuskegee Airmen Volunteer Team