Library thanks donors to the Tuskegee Airmen Archive.

On Saturday, June 6th, Chancellor Kim Wilcox and University Librarian Steven Mandeville-Gamble welcomed some of the donors who have contributed to the Tuskegee Airmen Archive Collection. In thanks for their generosity, donors were treated to a private luncheon and given a special look at the collection’s new permanent exhibit space in the lobby of the Tomás Rivera Library.

Four Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen were in attendance at the event: Flight Officer Alfonso Harris, Master Sergeant Buford Johnson, Lt. Col. Harlan Leonard, and Lt. Col. Ted Lumpkin. Co-founders of the Tuskegee Airmen Archive Dr. Ruth M. Jackson and Col. Ralph W. Smith noted the importance of the Tuskegee Airmen in U.S. history, their role in the integration of the military, and their outstanding contributions to the military record as well as to numerous other professional fields. 
 
Donors to the Tuskegee Airmen Archive are invested in ensuring that the stories of these heroic men and women are accessible to students and scholars worldwide, and UCR Library staff are honored to take part in this historic preservation effort. A current exhibit in the Rivera Library highlights some of the preservation tools and methods utilized to care for the historic documents and items donated to Special Collections and Archives at the Library. Curator of African American Collections Bergis Jules also shared his thoughts in regards to these preservation efforts, the permanent exhibit, and the future of African American Collections at the University of California, Riverside.  

“We had an outstanding time," remarked Ron Brewington, President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. "We got the chance to meet some fabulous people who are doing a much-needed, tremendous job.”