Father of the Tuskegee Airmen, John C. Robinson

by Phillip Thomas Tucker

Overview

Across black America during the Golden Age of Aviation, John C. Robinson was widely acclaimed as the long-awaited "black Lindbergh." Robinson's fame, which rivaled that of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens, came primarily from his wartime role as the commander of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force after Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. As the only African American who served during the war's entirety, the Mississippi-born Robinson garnered widespread recognition, sparking an interest in aviation for young black men and women.

Known as the "Brown Condor of Ethiopia," he provided a symbolic moral example to an entire generation of African Americans. While white America remained isolationist, Robinson fought on his own initiative against the march of fascism to protect Africa's only independent black nation. Robinson's wartime role in Ethiopia made him America's foremost black aviator.

Robinson made other important contributions that predated the Italo-Ethiopian War. After graduating from Tuskegee Institute, Robinson led the way in breaking racial barriers in Chicago, becoming the first black student and teacher at one of the most prestigious aeronautical schools in the United States, the Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical School. In May 1934, Robinson first planted the seed for the establishment of an aviation school at Tuskegee Institute. While Robinson's involvement with Tuskegee was only a small part of his overall contribution to opening the door for blacks in aviation, the success of the Tuskegee Airmen--the first African American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces--is one of the most recognized achievements in twentieth-century African American history.

Phillip Thomas Tucker has a doctorate in American history from St. Louis

University in St. Louis, Missouri. Tucker is the author or editor of more than

twenty books, including award winners and History and Military Book Club selections,

devoted to various groundbreaking aspects of African American, Civil War,

Revolutionary War, women’s, and Irish history. For more than twenty years, he

has worked as a U.S. Air Force historian, mostly in Washington, D.C. He lives in

Maryland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781597974875
Publisher:	Potomac Books
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

1 A Rare Beacon of Hope Gulfport 1

2 Turning Point: Tuskegee Institute and Going North 19

3 Breaking Down More Racial Barriers 35

4 Twin Dreams Tuskegee Ethiopia 55

5 Commanding Emperor Selassie's Imperial Ethiopian Air Force 89

6 The Fascist Invasion of Ethiopia 119

7 The Gods of War Turn against Ethiopia 157

8 Returning a War Hero 189

9 Aviation Visions Burn Brightly 201

10 The Winds of World War 239

Epilogue 261

Aviation Cadets Trained by John Robinson's Team 265

Notes 267

Bibliography 309

Index 321

About the Author 329

Editorial Reviews

“Phillip Thomas Tucker resurrects John C. Robinson, once the best-known black pilot in the world, who has since been largely forgotten. Tucker’s book fills an important gap, reminding readers that Robinson, a son of the South, turned Chicago into the greatest center of black aviation in the 1930s, encouraged Tuskegee Institute to establish black pilot training, and then led the Ethiopian air force. Anyone who has ever heard of black aviation pioneers Charles Anderson, Willa Brown, Cornelius Coffey, Dale White, and Chauncey Spencer should also be familiar with John C. Robinson, without whom the others might have never learned to fly. Tucker convinces us that Robinson is one of the greatest of the black aviation pioneers and played an instrumental role, not only in the establishment of black pilot training in the United States, but also in inspiring black pilots to join the fight against fascism, as he did.”—Daniel L. Haulman, chief, Organizational Histories Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency

Daniel L. Haulman

"This engaging biography of John C. Robinson, the 'Brown Condor,' gives the aviation pioneer his historical due and—while most studies of New World-African connections focus on western Africa—makes an important contribution to our knowledge of links between African Americans and northeast Africa, particularly the independent Ethiopian nation of Emperor Haile Sellassie I."—Tim Carmichael, associate professor of history, College of Charleston

Tim Carmichael

“Tucker knows how to mine the data for details lying well below the surface and use them to create an exhilarating narrative. This book demonstrates the power of analysis and the ability of the author to tell of the African American experience.”—Mario Marcel Salas, assistant professor of political science, University of Texas at San Antonio

Mario Marcel Salas

Tucker knows how to mine the data for details lying well below the surface and use them to create an exhilarating narrative. This book demonstrates the power of analysis and the ability of the author to tell of the African American experience.”

“Phillip Thomas Tucker resurrects John C. Robinson, once the best-known black pilot in the world, who has since been largely forgotten. Tucker’s book fills an important gap, reminding readers that Robinson, a son of the South, turned Chicago into the greatest center of black aviation in the 1930s, encouraged Tuskegee Institute to establish black pilot training, and then led the Ethiopian air force. Anyone who has ever heard of black aviation pioneers Charles Anderson, Willa Brown, Cornelius Coffey, Dale White, and Chauncey Spencer should also be familiar with John C. Robinson, without whom the others might have never learned to fly. Tucker convinces us that Robinson is one of the greatest of the black aviation pioneers and played an instrumental role, not only in the establishment of black pilot training in the United States, but also in inspiring black pilots to join the fight against fascism, as he did.”

"This engaging biography of John C. Robinson, the 'Brown Condor,' gives the aviation pioneer his historical due and—while most studies of New World-African connections focus on western Africa—makes an important contribution to our knowledge of links between African Americans and northeast Africa, particularly the independent Ethiopian nation of Emperor Haile Sellassie I."

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