[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 168 (Friday, November 4, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE LIFE OF TUSKEGEE AIRMAN LT. COL. LUKE JOSEPH WEATHERS JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 4, 2011

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Lt. Col. 
Luke Joseph Weathers Jr., a Tuskegee Airman in the 332nd Fighter Group. 
He was born to Luke Joseph Weathers, Sr. and Jessie Rita Hawkins on 
December 16, 1920 in Grenada, MS. In 1925, he and his mother moved to 
Memphis, Tennessee to reunite with his father who had moved to Memphis 
earlier with his brother, William ``Bill'' Weathers.
  Luke Weathers was baptized at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Memphis 
and later attended St. Anthony Catholic School. Weathers transferred 
and completed his high school education at Booker T. Washington where 
he excelled academically and athletically. Upon completion, he was 
accepted into Xavier University and studied from 1939-1942. He returned 
to Memphis in 1942 and read an article in a newspaper about an 
experimental training program for African-American pilots and aviation 
in Tuskegee, Alabama. After speaking to his parents about the program, 
Weathers met with Mayor E.H. Crump who made a call to President 
Roosevelt informing him that he would be sending Luke to the program. 
On July 27, 1942, Luke Weathers arrived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and 
trained for nine months and one day. On April 29, 1943 he began his 
active duty as a Fighter Pilot Single Engine in the 302N Fighter 
Squadron flying P-51 bombers. The 302N Fighter Squadron was later 
merged into the 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the ``Red Tails.'' 
Weathers named his plane the ``Spirit of Beale Street.''
  Lt. Col. Weathers departed for Italy January 3, 1944 to begin his 
tour in WWII, traveling to North Africa, Italy, France, Europe, and 
Germany. For his courage and service, he earned an Air Medal with 7 
clusters, a Distinguished Flying Cross medal and an American Theater 
Ribbon Victory Medal WWI. Weathers was credited with shooting down two 
German fighter aircrafts while on a mission to protect U.S. Army Air 
Corps bombers in Europe. During this tour, the Tuskegee Airmen never 
lost one of their bombers. Lt. Col. Weathers returned to Memphis on 
March 13, 1945 and became the first African-American to receive the key 
to the City of Memphis. He was also honored with a parade down Beale 
Street and the day was declared ``Capitan Luke Weathers Day.''
  Luke Weathers met LaVerne Nalling while in Memphis. Together, they 
owned and operated several businesses including the Weathers Jeffery 
vocational school in Jackson, Tennessee where Weathers was a flight 
instructor. He was also the Director of Boone-Higgins Trade School for 
Negro Veterans in Jackson. They also operated a beauty shop, 
Laundromat/dry cleaners and a carpet cleaning service. In 1959, 
Weathers founded The National Defense Cadet Corps, NDCC, for the 
Memphis City School System at Manassas High school. This program 
created an opportunity for African American males who had a desire for 
military training but did not have access to a ROTC program. For a 
brief time afterwards, Weathers moved his family to Anchorage, Alaska 
where he had accepted a position with the Federal Aviation 
Administration, FAA. He moved his family back to Memphis and became the 
first African-American Air Traffic Controller in Memphis. During his 
tenure with the FAA, he accepted tours of duties in Atlanta, Georgia 
and Washington, DC.
  In 1985, Lt. Col. Weathers retired from the FAA in Washington, DC and 
the Air Force Reserves. In his retirement he stayed active with 
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and continued to promote African Americans in the 
military including women. Lt. Col. Luke Joseph Weathers Jr. died on 
October 15, 2011 at 90 years of age. He is survived by his wife, 
Jacqueline Moore Weathers; two sons, Luke Joseph Weathers III and Andre 
M. Weathers; daughters Wanda Weathers Smith, Renee Weathers Powell, and 
Trina Weathers Boyce; and 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. 
Mister Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of 
Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Col. Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr. His was a life 
well-lived.