Milton Pitts Crenchaw (January 13, 1919 – November 17, 2015) was an American aviator who served 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 ...

and was the first Arkansan to be trained by the federal government as a civilian licensed pilot. He served during World War II as a civilian flight instructor. He was one of the two original supervising squadron members. In 1998 he was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame. The grandson of a slave, he was known as the "father of black aviation in Arkansas" who broke through color barriers in the military.

Early life

Crenchaw was born to Reverend Joseph C. Crenchaw and Ethel Pitts Crenchaw at

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, in 1919. His father was a local civil rights leader with the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

His grandfather was a slave. In 1937 he graduated from Dunbar High School in Arkansas. He enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute in 1939, to study auto mechanics. Crenchaw and Ruby Hockenhull were married on December 22, 1942 in

Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...

. They had 3 children: Dolores, Countess, and their son Milton.

Aviation career

Curtiss P-40, ¾-front view, in flight (00910460 023)

Crenchaw went from living the life of a college student to flying in the

Civilian Pilot Training Program The Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) was a flight training program (1938–1944) sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military prepare ...

(CPTP). The CPTP was sponsored by the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

under the auspices of the

Civil Aeronautics Authority The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was an agency of the federal government of the United States, formed in 1938 and abolished in 1985, that regulated aviation services including scheduled passenger airline serviceStringer, David H."Non-Skeds: T ...

; after the start of WWII in Europe in 1939, there were very few combat pilots in the US and the AAC wanted to increase the number as insurance against any future conflict involving the United States. Crenchaw passed the CAA examination to become a licensed flight instructor on December 8, 1941, one day after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

. He soon after transferred to program at

Moton Field Moton may refer to: People Given name * Moton Hopkins (born 1986), American professional gridiron football player Surname * LeVelle Moton (born 1974), American college basketball coach * Robert Russa Moton (1867–1940), African American educator a ...

, home of the Tuskegee Airmen. Crenshaw was named Primary Flight Instructor in 1942 at

Tuskegee Army Air Field Sharpe Field is a closed private use airport located northwest of the central business district of Tuskegee, a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. This airport is privately owned by the Bradbury Family Partnership. Formerly known ...

in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was one of the two original supervising squadron members under Chief Pilot Charles A. Anderson. Anderson was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

man to have a private pilot license in 1929. Crenchaw was instrumental in the creation of the first flight program at

Philander Smith College Philander Smith College is a private historically black college in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Philander Smith College is accredited by ...

from 1947 to 1953 where he continued to teach pilots. Crenchaw worked for the federal government for 40 years, from 1941 to 1983, first with the U.S. Army Air Corps, which transitioned to the U.S. Air Force. Toward the end of his career he was an equal-opportunity officer in the Department of Defense and as a race-relations officer at

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. Th ...

in Georgia. United States Senator

John Boozman John Nichols Boozman ( ; born December 10, 1950) is an American politician and former optometrist serving as the senior United States senator from Arkansas, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. repre ...

(Arkansas) honored Crenchaw with a citation in the

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Inde ...

in 2015. He said that "Crenchaw helped break the barriers that existed in the military", a pioneer who "paved the way for integration in the United States Military and impacted generations of aviators".

Death

Crenchaw had a heart attack on November 14, 2015, he was transported to the hospital and he died from complications related to pneumonia and cardiovascular disease, Tuesday November 17, 2015. He was buried on December 1, 2015 at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock. A memorial ceremony was held at the state capital attended by Arkansas lawmakers and officials. His family were given citations from the House and Senate honoring his life, and a portrait of Crenchaw was displayed for one week at the capital.

Awards and honors

*1998 Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame *2006

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

, awarded to Tuskegee Airmen *2007 Arkansas Black Hall of Fame *2017 The Technical wing of a high school in Little Rock was named after Milton Crenchaw

References

Notes

External links

Fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

(2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
In Their Words; Oral History with Milton Crenchaw
interview at the ''American Archive of Public Broadcasting''
Tuskegee Airmen
at

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...

Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

( U.S. National Park Service)
Tuskegee Airmen National Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crenchaw, Milton category:Tuskegee Airmen Military personnel from Little Rock, Arkansas 1919 births 2015 deaths United States Army Air Forces officers Deaths from pneumonia in Georgia (U.S. state) Aviators from Arkansas African-American aviators 21st-century African-American people