Lt. Col. Weathers

Lt. Col. Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr.

December 16, 1920 – October 15, 2011

Tuskegee Airman, FAA Air Traffic Control Specialist, and Memphis Civil Rights Pioneer

 

Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr. moved to Memphis from Grenada, Mississippi at age five and became a pioneer in the integration of the U.S. Army Air Corps, the Catholic Church, and the Federal Aviation Administration.  After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis and Xavier University in New Orleans, he became aware of an experimental training program for Black pilots.  Seizing the opportunity, he enlisted and began his journey as a Tuskegee Airman.

 

In honor of his hometown, Lt. Col. Weathers named his plane “Spirit of Beale Street,” which he flew with the “Red Tails” in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany.  Lt. Col. Weathers is credited with shooting down German planes while protecting U.S. Army Corps bombers. As a result of his stellar flying record, he earned an Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, American Theater Ribbon, and WWII Victory Medal.  In 2007, Weathers in the Tuskegee Airmen were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal.

 

Following the war, Weathers returned to Memphis and received a hero’s welcome. Weathers became an FAA Air Traffic Control Specialist in Anchorage, Alaska.  In 1965, Lt. Col. Weathers moved back to Memphis, working with the FAA, and continued serving as an African American pioneer in the aviation sector.  After a distinguished career that included posts in Alaska, Memphis, Atlanta, and Washington, DC, he retired in 1985.

 

After retirement, Lt. Col. Weathers remained active with the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and continued to support African Americans in the military and elsewhere.  On October 15, 2011, Lt. Col. Weathers passed. His service was held at St. Therese Little Flower Church, which he helped integrate in 1963.  He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on January 20, 2012.

 

Lt. Col. Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr. paved the way for many to become pilots.  His legacy endures in the countless lives he touched.

 

Submitted by

Bryan Arnold

@nanowhiskers