Dabney N. Montgomery (April 18, 1923 – September 3, 2016) was an American pilot and bodyguard.
Born in
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...
, Montgomery went to Lutheran Academy and the Selma University High School. He joined the armed forces in 1943, serving in the
U.S. Army Air Corps. Montgomery graduated from
Livingstone College
Livingstone College is a private, historically black Christian college in Salisbury, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Livingstone College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Sout ...
in 1949 and studied music at the
Boston Conservatory.
He was a bodyguard for
Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1965
Selma to Montgomery marches
The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the 54-mile (87 km) highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the ...
, in
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. Montgomery was awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.
He died on September 3, 2016, of natural causes.
The History Makers-Dabney N. Montgomery
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Dabney
1923 births
2016 deaths
People from Selma, Alabama
Boston Conservatory at Berklee alumni
Livingstone College alumni
United States Army Air Forces soldiers
21st-century African-American people
Tuskegee Airmen