Paul Adams (August 10, 1920 – June 30, 2013) was a World War II pilot with the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of th ...

. He was one of the first black teachers in the Lincoln Nebraska public school system. Adams also served as the president of the Lincoln Chapter of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

. In 2008 the city of Lincoln Nebraska built a new elementary school and named it after Adams. The mascot of the school in an aviator.

Military service

Adams joined the army in 1942 and began fighter pilot training 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 ...

in Alabama. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in 1943. He was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group and sent to Naples Italy. In 1945, Captain Adams came back to the United States and was discharged. In 1947 Adams reenlisted in the army as a 1st Lieutenant. After many assignments eventually Adams was assigned to Lincoln Nebraska as Deputy Base Commander.

Awards

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters *

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 *President's Honor of Distinction Award

Doane College Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha. Established in 1872, Doane is the oldest private university in the state of Nebraska. History Doane College was founded on July 11, ...

2007

Education

*Sterling High School, Class of 1938 *

South Carolina State College South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina. It is the only public, historically black land-grant research university in South Carolina, is a member o ...

, Class of 1941 *

Class of 1943

Personal life

Adams was a native of Greenville, South Carolina. After he graduated from college he joined the United States Army Air Force. He flew missions in World War II with the Tuskegee Airmen. Adams married Alda Virginia Thompson in 1946 and together they had three children. The Army assigned Adams to Lincoln Nebraska in 1962. Adams stayed in service until 1963. He retired in 1963 and began teaching industrial arts at Lincoln High School in 1964–1982. He was one of the first black teachers in the Lincoln Nebraska public school system. Adams also served as the president of the Lincoln Chapter of the

References

Notes

External links

Tuskegee Airmen
at

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 ...

Libraries.
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

(

U.S. National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all national parks; most national monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational p ...

)
Tuskegee Airmen National Museum
*

Fly Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

(2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group) *

List of African American Medal of Honor recipients The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. Recipients must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their own l ...

{{Authority control 1920 births 2013 deaths People from Greenville, South Carolina Tuskegee Airmen Tuskegee University alumni Military personnel from Tuskegee, Alabama Military personnel from South Carolina United States Air Force officers United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II African-American aviators 21st-century African-American military personnel