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Roscoe C. Brown Jr.

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For the actor, seeRoscoe Lee Browne.
Roscoe Brown
Brown speaks at the dedication of theTuskegee Airmen Bus DepotofMTA Regional Bus.
Born(1922-03-09)March 9, 1922
Washington, D.C.,US
DiedJuly 2, 2016(2016-07-02)(aged 94)
Bronx, New York,US
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchArmy Air Corps
RankCaptain
Unit100th Fighter Squadronof the332nd Fighter Group
ConflictWorld War II
AwardsDistinguished Flying Cross

Dr. Roscoe Conkling Brown Jr.(March 9, 1922 – July 2, 2016) was one of theTuskegee Airmenand asquadroncommander of the100th Fighter Squadronof the332nd Fighter Group.[1]

Brown was born in Washington, D.C., in 1922.[2][3]His mother was a teacher and his father, Roscoe C. Brown Sr. (1884–1963), was a dentist and an official in the United States Public Health Service[4]who was born as George Brown and had changed his name to honorRoscoe Conkling,a strong supporter of the rights of African Americans duringReconstruction.His mother was the former Vivian Kemp, a teacher.[2]

Brown graduated fromSpringfield College,Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was valedictorian of the Class of 1943.[5]He joined the U.S. Army, and graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School on March 12, 1944, as member of class 44-C-SE[1]

During combat with theU.S. Army Air ForcesinEuropeduringWorld War II,he served as a flight leader and operations officer. On a March 24, 1945, mission to Berlin, Captain Brown shot down aGermanMe 262jet fighter,becoming the first 15th Air Force pilot to shoot down a jet. On March 31, he downed aFw 190fighter.[6][7]He was awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross.[8]

He was appointed commander in June 1945, which was afterVE Day(May 8, 1945).

(L-R) Tuskegee Airmen Roscoe C. Brown, Marcellus G. Smith, and Benjamin O. Davis
Brown receives theCongressional Gold MedalfromPresidentGeorge W. Bushin 2007

After the war, Brown resumed his education. His doctoral dissertation atNew York University[8]was on exercise physiology.[9]

Brown became a professor at New York University and directed the NYU Institute of Afro-American Affairs (now the Institute of African American Affairs) in 1950.[10]Brown hostedThe Soul of Reason,a radio talk show with interviewees which included politicians, professional athletes, medical professionals, and contemporary artists, which aired between 1971 and 1986.[11]Brown also hostedBlack Arts(1970–71)[12]andCUNY TVshowAfrican American Legends.[10]Brown was President ofBronx Community Collegefrom 1977 to 1993 and director for the Center for Education Policy at theCity University of New York.[2]Among his many distinguished awards, honors, and recognitions, he was elected into the National Academy of Kinesiology (née American Academy of Physical Education)[13]in 1971 as an Associate Fellow.[14]In 1992, Brown received an honorary doctor of humanics degree from his alma mater, Springfield College.

On March 29, 2007, Brown attended a ceremony in theU.S. Capitol rotunda,where he and the other Tuskegee Airmen were collectively awarded theCongressional Gold Medalin recognition of their service.[15]

He was also a member and past president of the100 Black Men of AmericaNew York Chapter.[16]and professor of Urban Education at theCUNY Graduate Center.

Brown died on July 2, 2016, atMontefiore Medical Centerinthe Bronx,N.Y.at the age of 94.[2][17][18]He had resided in Riverdale in his latter years.[19]His ashes were interred atArlington National Cemeteryon what would have been his 95th birthday, March 9, 2017.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abTuskegee University's Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Listing. Retrieved 2012-01-21Archived2013-12-03 at theWayback Machine
  2. ^abcdRoberts, Sam (July 7, 2016)."Roscoe C. Brown, Jr., 94, Tuskegee Airman and Political Confidant".New York Times.p. A17.Archivedfrom the original on 6 July 2016.Retrieved7 July2016.
  3. ^"Roscoe C. Brown".thehistorymakers.com.Archivedfrom the original on 11 May 2013.Retrieved6 November2013.
  4. ^The History MakersArchived2011-06-17 at theWayback MachineBiography of Captain Brown
  5. ^Interview: Dr Roscoe Brown, Tuskegee Airman and Squadron CommanderArchived2022-01-23 at theWayback Machineclaytonperry.com
  6. ^"Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. - Military Biography".Archivedfrom the original on 2008-05-01.Retrieved2010-01-29.
  7. ^"Roscoe Brown, Jr. Biography".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-08-18.Retrieved2010-01-29.
  8. ^ab"Saying farewell to an American hero: Roscoe Brown Jr".The New York Post.July 5, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-07-05.Retrieved2021-04-13.
  9. ^Pilot and edicator Roscoe C BrownKeystone College
  10. ^ab"Famed Tuskegee Airman and educator, Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Jr. passes at 94".amsterdamnews.com.7 July 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-06-24.Retrieved2021-06-19.
  11. ^"Guide to the Records of the Institute of African American Affairs RG.9.8".dlib.nyu.edu.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-04-30.Retrieved2021-02-12.
  12. ^Heitner, Devorah (2013).Black power TV.Durham. p. 151.ISBN978-0-8223-5409-3.OCLC816030807.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-03-04.Retrieved2021-06-19.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  13. ^Cardinal, Bradley J. (2022). "The National Academy of Kinesiology: Its founding, focus, and future".Kinesiology Review.11(1): 6–25.doi:10.1123/kr.2021-0064.
  14. ^The American Academy of Physical Education (1971). "The Academy Welcomes to Associate Fellowship".The Academy Papers.5:89.
  15. ^"WWII black pilots, Tuskegee Airmen, get top civilian honor"Archived2011-06-29 at theWayback MachineWilliam Douglas.McClatchy Newspapers,March 30, 2007.
  16. ^Roscoe C Brown, JrFacebook
  17. ^"Longtime NYC educator, WWII hero, Roscoe Brown dead at 94".New York Daily News.4 July 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-07-06.Retrieved2016-07-05.
  18. ^World War II Hero Dr. Roscoe C. Brown Dies at 94Archived2016-07-05 at theWayback Machine
  19. ^"Sixty years later, Congress honors Tuskegee Airmen"Archived2016-03-03 at theWayback MachineWilliam Douglas.McClatchy Newspapers,March 15, 2007.
  20. ^"Brown, Roscoe C".ANCExplorer.U.S. Army.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-10-16.Retrieved2021-04-13.
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Academic offices
Preceded by President of
Bronx Community College
1977 — 1993 		Succeeded by
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