Henry Cabot Lodge Bohler (June 8, 1925 – August 10, 2007) was an American military serviceman and electrician. He was trained with the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Military service

He enlisted in the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

at age 17. By the time he was awarded his

wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

in 1944, there was no need for more pilots. He left the service in 1947 as a second lieutenant. He graduated from

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

in Virginia.

Post-war life

Bohler and his family moved to

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in 1950.TBO.com Obituaries
/ref> This time, he was told that he could not own his own business. His persistence again paid off as he became Tampa's first African-American licensed

electrician An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...

and built a successful business, rising to become one of Tampa's first African-American millionaires. In 1960, Bohler, his wife and their three children went to the

Lowry Park Zoo ZooTampa at Lowry Park (formerly known as Lowry Park Zoo or Lowry Park Zoological Garden) is a nonprofit zoo located in Tampa, Florida. In 2009, Lowry Park Zoo was voted the #1 Family Friendly Zoo in the US by Parents Magazine, and is recognize ...

in Tampa. The family was denied entry to the zoo because of their race. Bohler sued the city for discrimination. During the two years it took to hear the case, Bohler was routinely harassed by city police who would pull his car over and demand to check his driver's license. On the day he was ordered to appear in federal court, he was pulled over five times. Bohler ultimately prevailed, with the result being a 1962 federal order requiring Tampa to integrate its public recreation facilities.

Later life

Bohler often spoke to school groups about his military service and attended annual reunions of the Tuskegee Airmen, flying his own

Piper Archer The Piper PA-28 Cherokee is a family of two-seat or four-seat light aircraft built by Piper Aircraft and designed for flight training, air taxi and personal use.Plane and Pilot: ''1978 Aircraft Directory'', pages 62–64. Werner & Werner Corp, ...

airplane to the events. Bohler stopped flying at the age of 80 after being diagnosed with a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

. Some time later, he fell in his garage and hit his head, which apparently caused bleeding on the brain that was undetected at the time. He was later admitted to a local hospital and spent the next two years in various care facilities. Henry Bohler died on August 10, 2007, in

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

, from complications from his fall injuries. He was survived by his wife Clifford Bohler, three children Henry Jr., Pamela, and George, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohler, Henry Cabot Lodge 1925 births 2007 deaths People from Tampa, Florida Tuskegee Airmen United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers Recipients of the Air Medal 21st-century African-American people

Military service

Post-war life

Later life

See also

References