Black@Lauder Fireside Chat with an American Hero - Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient and Tuskegee Airman Eugene J. Richardson

Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant, Eugene J. Richardson, Ed. D., is one of the only two surviving Tuskegee Airmen.  Pressed into action beginning in 1940, the Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. Their dedication and fearless leadership under fire led to President Harry S. Truman’s 1948 executive order ending segregation in the military and paved the way for landmark legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  In just under 1,600 missions, the Tuskegee Airmen shot down, destroyed, or damaged some 400 enemy aircraft. 

As Dr. Richardson's 100^th birthday nears, join him and Leland Hardy ’86 for a town hall style fireside chat addressing topics spanning Dr. Richardson's childhood during the height of Jim Crow, life in the immediate aftermath of The Great Depression, his career as an educator, the many significant societal and other changes he has witnessed in a century of living, and his outlook for the future of America and the world.

Eugene J. Richardson, Ed. D.

Leland Hardy '86