In 2009, former Tuskegee Airman Percy Sutton passed away. In the beginning of this year, the Famed group of Tuskegee Airmen lost Lee Archer, another of its members. Months later,  Lt. Colonel Spann Watson, a third member died of pneumonia at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York. He was 93 and a resident of Westbury, Long Island.

     Watson who was born in South Carolina relocated to Lodi, New Jersey with his family after a lynching in his neighborhood. This incident would traumatize the Watson family, causing them to never forget what happened. In Spann Watson's mind, this tragic memory became a constant reminder of what Blacks had to endure in the Jim Crow South and the tragedy was always fresh on his mind.

     Putting the horrors of the South Carolina incident behind him, the young Watson flourished in New Jersey. Once while in the post office, he saw a picture of Charles Lindbergh’s "The Spirit of St. Louis" plane and never forgot it. On a visit to Teterboro Airport, he would witness Lindbergh's plane coming in for a landing and this inspired his desire to become a pilot.

       His fascination with flying would ultimately lead him to enroll in Howard University where he majored in Engineering and took part in a pilot training program. At the time, African Americans who wanted to become pilots faced great discrimination. They could, for example, fly planes but were never allowed to use landing strips at most airports. In fact, there was only one strip that accommodated them by allowing them to land their planes. Because of this, the task for students to become pilots was nearly impossible.

       To remedy this,  the N.A.A.C.P. sued the War Department for failure to allow African Americans to become pilots and Watson became an alternate plaintiff in the case. The suit’s resulting settlement resulted in a pilot training program being set up at Tuskegee in Alabama. There, African Americans were given a chance to train and test out their piloting skills.

      During World War 11, Watson and the others who would become known as the famed Tuskegee Airmen fought enemies during missions to Italy, other parts of Europe and North Africa. Their phenomenal work was documented in the film "Tuskegee Airmen" starring Lawrence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding, Jr.

      After retiring from the Air Forces, Lt. Colonel Watson was unable to find a job commensurate with his training. Despite his exemplary service to his country, he was offered jobs well below his expertise. Determined to overcome this obstacle, he contacted Robert Kennedy, the late President’s brother and then Attorney General who told him to come to Washington, D.C. If he could relocate, a job would be waiting for him. Watson immediately answered the call and was given a position at the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A).

       During his tenure at that Agency, he commuted the three and a half to four hours back and forth every weekend between Washington and his home in Westbury, New York. Undaunted by the long commute, he did it cheerfully. While at the F.A.A., he went on to help countless numbers of African Americans break through the color line and become flight attendants and pilots. Always a fighter for equality, he fought at every level to make sure that Blacks were given equal opportunities.

          In later years, Watson devoted himself to speaking to groups about his experiences as a Tuskegee Airman. He was working on a book about his life at the time of his death. His family, however, hopes to complete and publish that life story.

          I first knew Colonel Watson because of Cynthia, his daughter who was one of my best friends at Westbury High School. Although we went our separate ways after school as high school buddies do, I connected with her father in his later years and had no idea that he was a Tuskegee Airman. Unfortunately, they never taught us about them in school. 

         Looking back, I remember the exact time that his sprawling lovely home was built in Westbury. All I could say was "wow!" It was some house. We were all elated that a Black person owned it.  I would later find out that Colonel Watson built it based on his childhood memories. In his hometown, he would walk down streets with big, fantastic houses and vowed to have one some day. His dreams were certainly fulfilled.

            When I met the Colonel after seeing him once or twice in high school, I was surprised that he was so spry at 91. In fact, he was still driving his car. At the time, he was working on his autobiography and needed help. Because of my bond with Cynthia, I cheerfully decided to assist him and actually wrote an outline for his book. After our visits, the Colonel and I would talk on the phone about his book. When I sent him a copy of So You Want To Be....a Career Guide for Young People, my book commissioned by the Lorraine Monroe Leadership Institute that featured him in the career category of "Pilot", he was so happy. He promised to visit the students at P.S. 149 and P.S. 96 in Manhattan because the book was specifically written for them. 

         After my visits to Westbury and the phone calls, I next saw the Colonel at Lee Archer's funeral. My cousin Venita Archer, Archer's daughter-in-law had invited me there and I was glad to see so many luminaries assembled including Bill Cosby. But it was Colonel Watson who stood out. He was a national hero and decked out in the traditional red jacket worn by the Tuskegee Airmen. Around his neck was the Presidential Medal of Freedom given to these heroic men...the Tuskegee Airmen for their service to our country (see above pictures). Unfortunately, that was the last time I would see the man who became my friend. 

        When Marlowe, the Colonel's son invited me to his burial at Arlington, I was working on yet another book and couldn't attend. From looking at the video, I am so sorry to have missed this momentous occasion. But I am glad that the Country gave Colonel Watson his due. He was laid to rest like a national hero. And he truly was one.

         To the Watson family, my deepest sympathies. Colonel Watson cherished his family. He is survived by his wife Edna; four children: Spann Marlowe Watson of Silver Spring, Maryland; Cynthia Watson Hopson of Bratenahl, Ohio; Diane Watson Capers of Hempstead, New York; Weyman Watson of South Orange, New Jersey; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren. Orrin Watson, a son who I knew well preceded him in death in 1981.

         Watson’s viewing was held at the Donohue Cecere Funeral Home in Westbury and many of the Tuskegee Airmen were there. His internment was at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. (see video above).

          The country and Black community has lost a great man. Spann Watson was a true champion for civil rights and helped so many. He is one of our heroes who should never be forgotten. I am so glad to have known him.