As a historian, I value history. That is no surprise. I also consistently ask people to not throw away your parents or grandparents’ military legacy. Contact your local museum or archive. I donated my father’s flight log and airplane manuals to the 6th Floor of the USAFA Library. If you want to know how to fly a Gooney Bird, you can find the manuals there.
In addition, museums are constantly looking for items to display. In St. Louis the History Museum included a display on Tuskegee Airmen George Carper. The Soldiers Memorial has a display on Wendell Pruitt. The depth of the displays however are often hampered by the scarcity of artifacts.
Twice I have received phone calls from family members who offered their items to the chapter. In both cases they were prints and photographs. I humbly accepted. The latest prints came from the family of Hugh J. White. Those prints along with others will be on display at the Scott AFB Hanger during the Air Show May 13th and 14th. Whether it is a flight record or a photograph or maybe their uniform, please before you discard spend a few moments on an internet search to find a possible home for those items.
In the case of the Tuskegee Airmen, there are numerous locations. Tuskegee Airmen Inc have over 50 chapters nationwide. There is a Tuskegee Airmen Museum in Tuskegee Alabama and Detroit Michigan. There is a World War II Museum in Colorado Springs. There are also archives at the USAFA and UC Riverside. And that list is just off the top of my head.
