Lemuel R. Custis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lemuel Rodney Custis June 4, 1915 |
| Died | February 24, 2005(2005-02-24) (aged 89) |
| Resting place | Cedar Hill Cemetery inHartford, Connecticut,Hartford County |
| Alma mater | Howard University,University of Connecticut's School of Law (did not finish) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1943–1946 |
Lemuel Rodney Custis (June 4, 1915 – February 24, 2005) was aU.S. Army Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot and Squadron Operations Officer with the332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as theTuskegee Airmen.[1] He was one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[2]
Custis wasHartford, Connecticut's first African American police officer.[3][1][4]
Custis was the first African American combat fighter pilot in the US military, sharing this distinction with cadet classmates CaptainBenjamin O. Davis Jr., futureTuskegee Airmen Commander and future U.S. four-star general; 2nd Lt.George S. Roberts ("Spanky" Roberts)(September 24, 1918 - March 8, 1984); 2nd Lt.Charles DeBow (Feb 13, 1918 – April 4, 1968);[5] and 2nd Lt.Mac Ross (1912-1944)[6][1] Being among the first five to graduate, they "drew the most sustained attention from the press and the black community as a result."[7]
Custis was the last surviving member of this original African American US military combat fighter pilots.[1]
Custis was born June 4, 1915, inWethersfield, Connecticut, as the only child of Mary C. Goodwin Custis and father Charles Custis (1860–1950).[1] The son of enslavedAfrican Americans fromVirginia, Charles Custis moved toHartford, Connecticut, after theCivil War, becoming a night elevator operator, day elevator operator, and janitor at insurance giantAetna. Impressed by Charles,Aetna PresidentMorgan Bulkeley offered him a position as a personal assistant. After Bulkeley had died, the successor President,Morgan B. Brainard retained Charles as a personal assistant who would continue in this role until his death at age 90.
Lemuel Custis attendedHartford's public school education, graduating from its high school. In 1938, Custis graduated fromHoward University with a Bachelor of Science Degree. In 1939, he returned to Hartford with hopes to obtain employment with one of Hartford's insurance conglomerates. In 1940, Custis becameHartford, Connecticut’s first African-American police officer, serving as a beat officer.[1][4] After Custis suddenly left the Hartford Police Department, members of Hartford's black community wondered whether the system found a way to rid Custis from the police force. Months later, they were relieved when thePittsburgh Courier, one of America's most prominent African American newspapers, published an article showing Custis with the inaugural Tuskegee pilot class 42-C-SE graduates on March 6, 1942.[4]
Custis was married to Ione Custis until her death in 1991.[8]
Custis left the Hartford Police Department to enlist in theU.S. Army Air Corps. On July 19, 1941, Custis was admitted into theU.S. Army Air Corps Tuskegee Aviation Cadet training program's inaugural class which started with thirteen atTuskegee Army Air Field, Class 42-C-SE.[1]
On March 6, 1942, Custis and three other cadets and one student officer graduated from the program: CaptainBenjamin O. Davis Jr., 2nd Lt. Charles DeBow Jr., 2nd Lt.Mac Ross, and 2nd Lt.George S. Roberts ("Spanky" Roberts). Class 42-C-SE created America's first African-AmericanU.S. Army Air Corps pilots. Custis was the last surviving member of the firstTuskegee Airmen aviation cadet class.[1][9][10]
Custis served as the 99th Fighter Squadron's Squadron Operations Officer. He flew 92 missions duringWorld War II in the European/ African/Middle Eastern Theater which included North Africa, Sicily and Italy.[1] On January 27, 1944, Custis and his squadron covered the beaches during the Allied's invasion ofAnzio, Italy to help liberateRome, Italy from theAxis, Custis shot down an enemy German Focke-Wulf 190 aircraft, earning Custis an official victory and the prestigiousDistinguished Flying Cross.[1] During the battle, Custis's squadron mates shot down five out of 15 German Focke-Wulf 190s without incurring any losses of their own.[1]
The U.S. Army Air Force transferred Custis back to Tuskegee where he served as an advanced flight instructor.[1] In 1946, Custis received an honorable discharge from active duty, retiring with the rank ofMajor.[1]
In 1951, Custis enrolled at theUniversity of Connecticut's School of Law. However, in 1952, he leftUConn Law to work with the State of Connecticut Tax Department.[11] In 1975, he became the State's first African American chief of sales tax. In 1982, he retired as the Tax Department's Chief Examiner after a 30-year career.[11][1] In 1995, he served as a film consultant forHBO'sThe Tuskegee Airmen.[1]
Custis was a member of theWindsor Locks, ConnecticutNew England Air Museum's Board of Directors.[1][11] He also served as an advisor to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historical Association.[11]
In 1996, Custis attended the 25th Annual National Convention of Tuskegee Airmen inSeattle, Washington.[11]
In 2001,Central Connecticut State University awarded Custis an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities.[1]
Custis died on February 24, 2005, at the Brookview Health Care Center inWest Hartford, Connecticut. He was interred atCedar Hill Cemetery inHartford, Connecticut, inHartford County.[8]
Lieutenants Lemuel Custis, Charles DeBow, George Roberts, and Mac Ross were the first four to graduate, in March of 1942, and drew the most sustained attention from the press and the black community as a result.
