Fitzroy "Buck" Newsum (May 22, 1918 – January 5, 2013) was an American Retired Colonel, military pilot who was one of the original members of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.[1][2][3] He reached the rank of colonel before retiring in 1970.[1]
"Buck" Newsum was born on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City, on May 22, 1918.[4] He was raised on the island of Trinidad (in present-day Trinidad and Tobago), where he saw his first airplane, a Curtiss Robin, land near his home in 1929 when he was 10 years old.[1][4]
He graduated from the College of Military Science at the University of Maryland.[1] He joined the New York National Guard in 1939[4] He was second lieutenant in the Anti-Aircraft Coast Artillery Corps in 1941 and was sent to Hawaii, where he commanded an anti-aircraft missile group on the islands, following the attack on Pearl Harbor.[1][4]
During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt arranged for thirty-three African American servicemen to take an entrance exam for the Army Air Corps.[1] Newsum was one of just thirteen men to pass the test.[1] After passing, he chose to attend the Tuskegee Army Air Field's flight school rather than the Officer Candidate School that the other twelve men enrolled in.[1] Newsum would pilot the P-47 Thunderbolt warplane during the war.[1]
He later obtained a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma.[1] He reached the rank of colonel before retiring in 1970.[1] Newsum worked as a public relations manager at Martin Marietta in Denver, Colorado, after leaving the military.[4]
Newsum was one of the surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen who received a Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush in 2007.[1] he had previously been inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1991.[4]
Newsum died in Denver, Colorado, on January 5, 2013, at the age of 95.[1] He was buried at Fort 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. Senator Mark 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]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Davidson, Joanne (2013-01-13). "Tuskegee Airman Fitzroy "Buck" Newsum, 94, persevered to be a pilot". Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/obituaries/ci_22362535/tuskegee-airman-fitzroy-buck-newsum-94-persevered-be?source=rss_emailed. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pohl, Jason (2013-01-14). "Tuskegee Airman Fitzroy "Buck" Newsum gets one final flyover". Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_22372988/tuskegee-airman-tuskegee-airman-fitzroy-buck-newsum-gets. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
- ↑ "Denver funeral service, flyover honor Col. Newsum, one of original Tuskegee Airmen". Associated Press. Fox News. 2013-01-14. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/14/denver-funeral-service-flyover-honor-col-newsum-one-original-tuskegee-airmen/. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Tuskegee airman leaves legacy of service". Our Colorado News. 2013-01-16. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20131101031316/http://www.ourcoloradonews.com/centennial/news/tuskegee-airman-leaves-legacy-of-service/article_f2bf2240-603d-11e2-bd9e-0019bb2963f4.html. Retrieved 2013-01-16.
The original article can be found at Fitzroy Newsum and the edit history here.