Before They were Tuskegee Airmen They were DSU Alumni

Did you know that Delaware State University offers bachelors’ degrees in Aviation Management and Professional Pilot? Yes! It’s true!

Our story begins in 1939.  The Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) Act of 1939 established flight programs at colleges and universities across the United States, but the historically black colleges and universities were excluded. Would-be African American pilots petitioned President Roosevelt to allow them to be included in CPT programs. They were successful! By the end of 1939 the Civil Aeronautics Authority (later named the Federal Aviation Administration) approved several HBCUs including, Delaware State University, to initiate CPT programs for a limited quota of students. When the Tuskegee Army Flying School opened in 1941 as a result of World War II several hundred graduates of HBCU flight schools made their way to the army. It is likely that DSU alumni were among the ranks of renowned Tuskegee Airmen.

The flight school that was present in the early days of DSU fell to the wayside sometime around World War II.  However, during the 1987-1988 academic year the Department of Airway Science was revitalized.  Degrees in Aircraft Systems Management and Airway Science Management were offered in part thanks to an association with the United Air Lines.

In this photograph from the University Archives, the 1988 Flight Team stands with President Delauder following a regional flight competition.  Caption on Back: "DSC 1988 Precision Flight Team; Team Awards - First in Safety, Third in Ground Events, Fourth Overall; 1988 National Intercollegiate Flying Association SAFECON, MacArthur Field, Long Island, NY” Daeshawn, Paul, and Justin explained that for DSU, the most coveted prize at SAFECON is not to be #1 team, but to achieve the Safety Award.

Today the students of the DSU Aviation program thrive.  They proudly fly a fleet of 10 aircrafts; six Piper Warriors, two Piper Arrows, a Piper Tomahawk, and a Piper Seneca multi-engine. The DSU planes are all painted bright blue with red tails in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen who paved the way before them.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with current juniors, Daeshawn Rose, Paul Scherry and Justin Thompson to hear about their experiences in the DSU aviation program. Daeshawn explained, “I love being a part of DSU’s aviation program because it allows me to do things that the average college student would not be able to do.” He wasn’t kidding.  DSU aviation students depart daily from the Dover Municipal Airport for destinations all across the East Coast. Not only do they network and interact with professional pilots and air traffic controllers along the way, but they also get to explore the eastern United States.  They fly over some of the most famous vistas such as Niagara Falls and New York City.  Feel like flying to North Carolina for a sandwich? No problem. These guys know the best airport restaurants and small town USA eateries.

So if you see a blue and red dot moving across the sky, cheer on your fellow classmates. In the future they will be the ones to fly you across the country, transport your packages, and perform a whole host of other services.

Bibliography:

Carver, Joseph, and Jerome A. Ennels. The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949. Montgomery, AL: NewSouth Books, 2011.

DSU students talk about in-flight maneuvering circa 2000. Notice the wing of the
DSU plane has red stripping in homage to the Tuskegee Airmen who
helped pave the way for these students.
Photograph Source: PR Photographic collection, DSU archives

 Written by Joy Scherry

Collection Highlight: Junior College and Normal School Photographs

        The archives recently received an exciting donation of photographs dated circa 1925-1930! The era of the State College for Colored Students from 1891 until 1947 is by far the most underrepresented period of time within the DSU archives collections. As such, these photographs are a rare treasure!  They offer viewers the ability to see the faces of students who were previously represented only by names in a long list of DSU alumni.  Now, however, we have the extraordinary opportunity to see with clarity the automobiles, clothing, early campus buildings, and faces of students that comprised the State College for Colored Students. 

Prior to this donation, graduates of the Junior College
and Normal School were represented only by class list records
which named alumni by graduation date. 

       At the time that these photographs were taken, the SCCS was under the administration of President Richard S. Grossley who governed the college from 1923 until 1942.  The Grossley surname appears on approximately half of the photographs included within the donation.  Although the exact creator of these photographs is unknown, it is theorized that President Grossley, his wife, or someone close to them was the photographer.

        President Grossley’s administration is known for the inclusion of new programs at the State College for Colored Students.  In 1923 a two-year junior college division was founded in order to create a bridge between high school and college for young adults.  Shortly thereafter, in 1925 a two-year normal course was founded.  A Normal School was a program offered to high school graduates in order to instruct them in accepted teaching standards or “norms.” At the State College for Colored Students a lab classroom was established where the Normal School undergraduates could gain teaching experience.  The lab classroom was additionally beneficial to local African American children who would otherwise have been forced to attend a segregated school in Wilmington.

SCCS student, Mary Simms, stands on the campus.
In the background the combined library and chapel
building may be seen. 

Pictured here are Junior College students Herman
Bantom, Charles Whaley, Isaac Caulk, and
William Laws.

These students are believed to be students of the Junior College and Normal School at the State College for Colored Students circa 1930. 

Caption on the back: "First Row… 1. Mary Simms, 2. H. Jefferson, 3. L. Mitchell, 4.  M. Florence, 5. M. Sample. Second Row 1. Helen N. J., 2. Mabel Moody 3. Henry, 5. Dorothy Y. Allen" 

        It is believed that the individuals seen within these photographs are students of the Junior College and Normal School.  Fortunately many of the photographs include handwritten captions on the photograph backs that identify who some of the individuals are.  While the archive is fortunate to be able to name the photograph’s subjects, the lives of each student remain a mystery.  What did they study?  Where were they from?  Did the students attain the careers they hoped for? How did World War II affect them? Despite the many unanswered questions, these photographs allow us some clues as to what life was like in the early days of Delaware State University.

Do you want to see more images? You are cordially invited to visit the archives to view the full collection of SCCS photographs.