Yenwith Whitney
Yenwith K. He was an enthusiastic 18-year-old Bronx native who had grown attending a mostly light university and you will local chapel. Shortly after graduating twelfth grade through the World war ii, the guy enrolled in brand new fledgling black aviation system.
My personal first genuine experience with black colored babies is actually residing in the fresh army air corps. It absolutely was my basic profound contact with getting element of an excellent category which was entirely black.
Of several commanders didn’t wanted blacks undertaking anything but menial work inside The second world war. They did not envision blacks were smart adequate to carry out acts instance fly planes. We took my earliest trained in Biloxi, Miss. I had never been in the Southern area before also it don’t make myself happy to get in Biloxi. It advised all of us prior to we went South, i merely had one mission becoming around hence were to teach. Do not get in any kinda issues.
Out-of Biloxi, Whitney went on to practice during the Tuskegee Institute’s 66th Air Force Traveling College or university at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
There is certainly just one point we wanted hence is actually providing our very own wings. For individuals who washed-out, it had been the essential disastrous issue that may occur. We started off that have 64 inside our group, but only twenty six had their wings and you can graduated. Which was the most effective day’s my life. I experienced attained something significant.
During the 1944, he went on so you can serve as a airplane pilot in another of four the-black colored fighter units regarding the 332 Combatant Category (“Red Tails”), allotted to the fresh new every-black colored 301st Combatant Squadron, of one’s 15th Sky Push. Into the war, Whitney travelled 34 treat missions inside Europe given that a combatant pilot escorting heavier bombers, making an atmosphere Medal and around three Groups having their service.
Autographed 3×5 postcard depicting Tuskegee Airman Yenwith Whitney of your own 332 Combatant Group (“Reddish Tails”), allotted to the latest all of the-black 301st Combatant Squadron, of fifteenth Air Force, ca. 1944.
Post-Battle
Despite making an atmosphere Medal and you may three Clusters getting his solution, Whitney is unable to get a job which have a commercial airline pursuing the war.
I became angry. I found myself exactly as accredited because the others. I subscribed to an educated university I will think about.
He placed on MIT under the GI Bill and try acknowledged. Inside 1949, Whitney gained an effective Bachelors during the Aeronautics and Astronautics (Direction XVI) regarding MIT for the 1949.
After getting their training from MIT, Whitney struggled to obtain Republic Flights into stress investigation, upcoming on the EDO Enterprise into architectural type of flights drifts. In the 1958, the guy and his family relations gone to live in Cameroon, where Whitney taught mathematics and you may physics on a great Presbyterian mission. The family gone back to Ny ten years after, although Whitney proceeded doing work for the new United Presbyterian Church 
in the minority degree and you can international education in Africa, new U.S., and you can China. Whitney and generated an excellent Master’s training in mathematics education and you will a great doctorate within the Globally Degree out of Columbia College.
Shortly after their advancing years inside the 1992, Whitney turned effective with the MIT Alumni Relationship, in which he was with it on the national selection panel. The guy served into board out of administrators of your own MIT Pub off Southwest Fl, since the a helpful counselor, and also as chairman away from Black colored Alumni/ae out of MIT (BAMIT).
“While i went along to MIT, I happened to be well-treated along with a great expertise in the newest dorm, the brand new fraternity, plus intramural recreations,” the guy told MIT Technology Remark. “Yet , there had been simply three almost every other black people when i try during the MIT, this is the reason I happened to be thus wanting BAMIT. I do believe BAMIT is actually an important section of MIT and you will very important to have black colored children.”