Luke J. Weathers

Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., (December 16, 1920 – October 15, 2011) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer, historic African American air traffic controller and prolific World War II combat fighter pilot with the prodigious 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or "Schwartze Vogelmenschen" ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots. Weathers earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for defending and escorting a damaged U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 Liberator bomber against eight Messerschmitt Bf 109s on November 16, 1944, shooting down two Bf 109s.

On June 25, 1945, the City of Memphis, Tennessee and 22,000 people honored Weathers with a "Luke Weathers Day" parade on Memphis' famous Beale Street and a key to the city, the first ever parade for an African American in the then-racially segregated Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1960, Weathers became the first ever African American Air Traffic Controller, working at his hometown Memphis International Airport. He was the son of Luke Joseph Weathers Sr., a mixed race African American man, and Jessie Weathers, an African American woman. The family later moved to Memphis, Tennessee where both parents worked in a grocery store. He later transferred to Lane College where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology.

At his "Carl J. Weathers Jr." parade in June 1945, Weathers met LaVerne Nailling (November 20, 1925 - February 26, 1999).

On February 14, 1995, Weathers married his second wife, Jacqueline Weathers. They remained married until Weathers' passing in 2011.

Weathers earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for defending and escorting a damaged B-24 Liberator bomber against eight Messerschmitt Bf 109s on November 16, 1944, shooting down two Bf 109s

During one bombing mission, Weathers flew so close to the ground that he almost inadvertently dropped his entire bomb payload on a wedding. He pulled his plane up after noticing a distressing look on the bride's face.

Weathers continued to serve in the military as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserves. In 1985, Weathers retired as a Lt. Colonel after 23 years in the military. thumb In 2004, The Pentagon unveiled a portrait of Weathers escorting the damaged U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 Liberator bomber to safety during World War II.

Post-military career, historic air traffic controller career After leaving the military, Weathers worked for the Philip Morris International and the Royal Crown Company. He later transferred to Lane College where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology. In the 1960s, Weathers joined the Federal Aviation Administration, becoming the first African American air traffic controller, working at his hometown Memphis, Tennessee, airport in 1965. Weathers also worked as an air traffic controller in Anchorage, Alaska, Galena, Alaska, Nashville, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C.

He also owned a coin-operated laundry, a flight school, and a vocational rehabilitation program for veterans.

Death, George Lucas's Red Tails On October 15, 2011, Weathers died of pneumonia in Tucson, Arizona. He was 90 years old. His funeral was held at Memphis's St. Therese-Little Flower, the church he and his first wife LaVerne integrated in 1963.

On January 20, 2012, Weathers was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Plot Section 64 Site 64–2. The Tuskegee Airmen-themed film, Red Tails, opened in theaters nationwide the same day Weathers was interred.