Lucius Theus (October 11, 1922 – October 15, 2007) was an American military officer and aviator. A Tuskegee Airman during World War II, he became the third black Major General in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Early life

Theus was born in Madison County, Tennessee. According to the Official DEOMI ( Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute) website, General Theus chaired the military task force that resulted in Defense Directive 1322.11 which in 1971 established the military's Race Relations Board and resulted in the founding of the DEOMI then known as the DRRI.

Military service

His tour of duty began in World War II as a private in the Army Air Corps. He retired as a Major General. His service career included stops in Tuskegee, Germany, France, Greece, and Vietnam, and led him to command of the Air Force Accounting and Finance Center and an Assistant Directorship of the Defense Security Assistance Agency. He spent much of his military career developing and implementing administrative systems to improve the life of the average airman and soldier. Programs such as direct deposit for military payrolls and better human relations are prime examples. While assigned to the Pentagon, he chaired the inter-service task force where his recommendations led to a Department of Defense-wide race relations education and policy development, and establishment of the forerunner to the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute. He retired from the Air Force in 1979. Theus was the first African American support officer and the third overall to be appointed general in the U.S. Air Force. He was also the first African American to attend

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

's six-week Advanced Management Program.

Awards

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006 * He is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal with an Oak Leaf Cluster * The

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

* The

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious a ...

. * Boy Scouts Silver Beaver Award * He was inducted into the Enlisted Men's Hall of Fame in 1995. * The Major General Lucius Theus Auditorium at Patrick Air Force Base was dedicated in his honor in 1996. * Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame on October 19, 1996. * Honorary Business degree Madonna University

Education

Theus graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

in 1956 and a master's degree in business administration from The

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 1957.

References

External links

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Tuskegee Airmen
at

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

Tuskegee Airmen Archives
at the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...