James B. Knighten

James Bernard Knighten (December 11, 1919 – November 9, 2000) was one of the first twelve African-Americans to become a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps after graduating from flight school at the Tuskegee Army Air Field. He became a member of the famed 99th Fighter Squadron, part of the World War II-era group of highly decorated African-American aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Knighten flew in the first combat mission by African American pilots on June 9, 1943. Knighten's military career continued through the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After retiring from the military in 1968, he had a 20-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration as an operations inspector in New York and later in Los Angeles. Known as a jokester through his military career, Knighten began performing as a stand-up comedian in Las Vegas under the name of Jay Bernard during his years at the FAA, finally moving to Las Vegas to perform full-time after retiring from his position with the FAA.

On May 11, 1938, Knighten was initiated in Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity's Beta Gamma chapter.

Military career

After graduating from college, Knighten began working as a waiter on the Santa Fe Railroad route between Chicago and Los Angeles.

After graduating from flight school at Tuskegee Air Field on May 20, 1942,

Shortly after Luana's death, he met and married his second wife Barbara, with whom he spent the rest of his life. Knighten and Barbara had two daughters together. Knighten's contributions to aviation were memorialized as part of the Black Americans in Flight mural at the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, which opened on August 13, 1990.

Awards Air Medal with two Oak cluster. Mobile, Alabama Patriot Award