Veteran Author Discusses Tuskegee Airmen and American History at the College

The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix’s Office of Health Care Advancement partnered to welcome Colonel Richard Toliver, a retired United States Air Force combat pilot, to campus to discuss his recently published book “Black Wings Over Arizona.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots who trained near Tuskegee, Alabama, and fought during World War II. Toliver’s novel shares the stories of specific members who had connections to Arizona.

Shannon Alsobrooks, a fourth-year medical student at the U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix, helped plan this event as a way of presenting an important history lesson of the Air Force. Previously, Alsobrooks hosted an event on campus that featured the daughter of one of the Tuskegee Army nurses.

“Over the past four years at the College of Medicine – Phoenix, my goal has been to leave a mark on this institution any way I can, and in doing that, I’ve been able to partner with the community in different ways,” Alsobrooks said. “Hopefully, you can find some engaging new information and learn a little bit of American history from this event.”

Joseph Olano, President of the Archer-Ragsdale Arizona Chapter (ARAC) Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., introduced Toliver and praised Alsobrooks for organizing the event.

“Col. Toliver is in demand as a motivational speaker nationwide and overseas,” Olano said. “He was the founding president of ARAC and held a key role in securing the Congressional Gold Medal for the Tuskegee Airmen.”

Before telling stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, Toliver highlighted Black American heroes in aviation history such as Eugene Jacques Bullard, the world’s first Black fighter pilot, and Bessie Coleman, who was America’s first female licensed pilot.

Col. Toliver graduated from Tuskegee University in February 1963 and served as a protégé of the Tuskegee Airmen. He graduated from the United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School and held key roles in advanced research, development and testing of tactical fighter aircrafts.

“When I arrived at Tuskegee, I was to meet some of these people and be inspired by them,” Toliver said. “I was a little Black kid growing up in World War II, and I wanted to be just like them when I grew up.”

Arizona became a part of the Tuskegee Airmen legacy from the 19 soldiers who established ties to the state in 1945. For nearly 80 years, their outstanding contributions were at the forefront of change as civil rights activists, civic leaders, educators and entrepreneurs in Arizona.

“They fought the wars they had overcome, and they fought the battles to overcome racial prejudice and obstacles,” Toliver said. “Those 19 men stayed here in Arizona and helped make this state a better place to live. We celebrate them, and we wrote this book in their honor.”

In his book, Toliver also discussed the 6888^th Central Postal Directory Battalion, a predominantly all-Black battalion of the Women’s Army Corps comprised of 855 officers.

One member of this battalion was Major Frances Griffin McClendon, who helped redirect mail to more than 7 million members of the United States Armed Forces. She is an active member of ARAC and currently resides in Tempe, Arizona at 104-years-old.

Toliver said what makes him proud of the country’s military today is young men and women are still volunteering to serve the country and put their lives on the line. Toliver also applauded those in medical school attending the seminar, stating those exquisite talents are necessary for helping others.

“I want to make a resounding statement here: America’s history is our history. America is a great place,” Toliver said. “Let’s celebrate anytime we get a chance to learn the history of our nation.”