Fitzroy Newsum | |
|---|---|
 Fitzroy Newsum | |
| Birth name | Fitzroy Newsum |
| Nickname | Buck |
| Born | (1918-04-22)April 22, 1918 |
| Died | January 5, 2013(2013-01-05) (aged 94) Denver, Colorado, US |
| Buried | Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943–1970 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 332nd Fighter Group |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Tuskegee Airmen |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland |
| Spouse | Joan (Nee) Carney |
| Relations | Four children |
Fitzroy "Buck" Newsum (May 22, 1918 – January 5, 2013) was an Americanmilitary pilot and officer who was one of the original members of theTuskegee Airmen duringWorld War II.[1][2][3] He retired as acolonel in 1970.
"Buck" Newsum was born on theUpper West Side ofManhattan,New York City, on May 22, 1918.[4] He was raised on the island ofBarbados, where he saw his first airplane, aCurtiss Robin, land near his home in 1929 when he was 10 years old.[1][4]
He graduated from the College of Military Science at theUniversity of Maryland.[1] He joined theNew York National Guard in 1939[4] He was second lieutenant in the Anti-Aircraft Coast Artillery Corps in 1941 and was sent toHawaii, where he commanded an anti-aircraft missile group on the islands, following theattack on Pearl Harbor.[1][4] After graduation he served in the New York National Guard.[5]
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During World War II, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt arranged for thirty-three African American servicemen to take an entrance exam for theArmy Air Corps.[1] Newsum was one of just thirteen men to pass the test.[1] After passing, he chose to attend theTuskegee Army Air Field's flight school rather than the Officer Candidate School that the other twelve men enrolled in.[1] Newsum would pilot theP-47 Thunderbolt warplane during the war.[1]
He was one of ten officers to preside over theFreemen Field Mutinycourts-martial. Ten officers presided over the courts-martial. They were appointed by GeneralFrank O'Driscoll Hunter. ColonelBenjamin O. Davis Jr., CaptainGeorge L. Knox II, CaptainJames T. Wiley, captain John H. Duren, Captain Charles R. Stanton, captain William T. Yates, Captain Elmore M. Kennedy, Captain Fitzroy Newsum, 1st LieutenantWilliam Robert Ming Jr., 1st Lieutenant James Y. Carter Trial Judge Advocates were: Captain James W. Redden and 1st LieutenantCharles B. Hall.[7]
He later obtained amaster's degree inpublic administration from theUniversity of Oklahoma.[1] He reached the rank of colonel before retiring in 1970.[1] Newsum worked as apublic relations manager at Martin Marietta in Denver,Colorado, after leaving the military.[4]
The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded theCongressional Gold Medal in 2006.[1] He was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991.[4]
Newsum died inDenver, Colorado, on January 5, 2013, at the age of 95.[1] He was buried atFort Logan National Cemetery with full military honors.[1] Newsum was survived by his wife of sixty-six years, Joan Carney Newsum, four children and four grandchildren.[2]U.S. SenatorMark Udall also paid tribute to Newsum following his death, noting that he proudly served as the U.S. military despite the segregation of the era.[2]
