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Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:32 PM CDT
Letter: Information sought on early local pilots
By DOUG LAWHEAD, Department of Journalism, Eastern Illinois University
I write in hope that long-time area residents may be able to help with research about a little-known historic event that occurred in 1938, and with information about a famous Tuskegee Airman who attended Eastern Illinois State Teachers College and a Charleston couple who received a letter from him while he was overseas flying combat missions.
The historic event occurred on May 19, 1938, during National Airmail Week when the first airmail plane to ever arrive here picked up mail in Mattoon, then Charleston and departed. Not only was this an important event in local history, it was a very historic moment in American aviation history for it marked the first time that any African-American pilot (Grover C. Nash) flew an American airmail route.
Newspapers of the day say Nash landed about 1:30 p.m. on the Frank Patterson farm northwest of Mattoon. Postmaster Paul Poorman and H.G. Seldomridge of the Association of Commerce delivered about 700 letters to the plane.
Nash then flew to Chamberlain Field at Charleston, the city’s first airport. It was on the south side of Lincoln Avenue and bordered on the west by what is now Reynolds Drive. Charleston Postmaster C.B. Muchmore delivered nearly 1,100 letters to the plane, according to newspaper accounts. Nash then flew to Chicago.
The Tuskegee Airman was Charles B. Hall. He was from Brazil, Ind., entered Eastern fall 1938, played football in 1938 and 1939, and was on the 1940 track team. Hall did not return for fall and winter terms in 1940, but did return for spring 1941. He left at mid term for the Tuskegee Institute and went on to become one of the original 28 members of the all black 99th Fighter Group. During the war be became the first African-American fighter pilot to shoot down an enemy fighter and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was the first African-American to receive the DFC.
In January 1944 the Charleston newspaper published a letter Hall had sent to Mr. and Mrs. David O. Yates who lived at 951 First St. in Charleston. I suspect Hall, who died in 1971, roomed with the Yates family. I would like to confirm this for research about this famous pilot.
If you have knowledge about any of these persons or events please contact me. Even what you might consider trivial might prove helpful. I may be reached at 581-8368 or by mail care of the Department of Journalism at EIU
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