C. ALFRED "CHIEF" ANDERSON 1907-1996

CHIEF ANDERSON & ELEANOR ROOSEVELT From BLACK WINGS Courtesy of J. Lee Bonnet, 2-7-04

 

NEWARK WELCOMES Dr. ALBERT FORSYTHE AND C. ALFRED ANDERSON FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL NEGRO FLYERS SEPTEMBER 23rd, 1933 NEGRO AERO RECEPTION COMMITTEE J. B. JOHNSON, Chairman W. T. BANKS, Vice Chairman. Collection of Paul Roales, 3-26-07

 

FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL NEGRO FLYERS Collection of Paul Roales, 3-26-07

 

Label Detail      "The envelope was sealed with an interesting small Italian label (now torn when the envelope was opened). In 1933, Italo Balbo led twelve hydroplanes from Italy to the Chicago World's Fair to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Mussolini's rise to power--to this day, a square in Chicago is named for Balbo. I do not know if there was any connection between the Forsythe-Anderson flight and the Balbo flight but the Balbo label is on the reverse of this envelope." Scan & text courtesy of Paul Roales, 3-26-07

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for "C. Alfred Anderson" using Google, (3-26-07), you will find about 61 links. Among the most useful are the following.

C. ALFRED "CHIEF" ANDERSON "The Father Of Black Aviation"      "C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson, one of America's last aviation pioneers, passed away on April 13, 1996 at his home in Tuskegee after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 89. He was born to Janie and Iverson Anderson of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and was a 56 year resident of Tuskegee Institute, Alabama. "Chief" was a inductee of the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame (1991); The International Order of the Gathering of Eagles (1990); winner of the famous Brewer Trophy (1985); and held many other aviation awards. An Honorary Doctorate of Science was conferred by Tuskegee University in 1988. His first love always was teaching new students to fly, and he amassed over 52,000 flying hours." This extract is from the story of "The Father of Black Aviation" as prepared and submitted by Col. Roosevelt J. Lewis, Jr. USAF (Ret), Air Tuskegee LTD and Dr. Vascar Harris, Tuskegee University

 

BLACK WINGS Biographical Passage about C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson      From this homepage, you can choose the biography of Chief Anderson from among four other pioneer black aviators. If you choose the biography of Chief Anderson, you will find a detailed story of the time when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt asked to be taken for a ride in an airplane flown by him. There is a nice picture of Eleanor and Anderson. To access the site, just click on the title above. and then click on "C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson."      If time permits, you will enjoy the other biographies which are available from the homepage.      You should also plan to sample some of the many other websites.

 

RECOMMENDED READING

BLACK EAGLES African Americans in Aviation by Jim Hastings      "African-American folklore is rich in stories and songs about people flying. But in the early days of American aviation, racism forced blacks to go to Europe to earn their wings. Such pioneers included Eugene Bullard, who joined the French Foreign Legion in 1914 and was awarded the highest honor given by the French military. In 1921 in France, daredevil Bessie Coleman was the first black American woman licensed as a pilot." Selection from flyleaf Editor's Note: You will find several references to C. Alfred Anderson in this book, including his round-trip transcontinental Flight with Dr. Albert E. Forsythe and their later Pan-American Goodwill Flight in 1933. There are also brief references to his career with the Tuskegee Airmen.

 

"C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson, one of America's last aviation pioneers, passed away on April 13, 1996 at his home in Tuskegee after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 89.   If you have any more information on this pioneer aviator, please contact me. E-mail to Ralph Cooper