Jefferson, Alexander, 1921-

Alexander Jefferson was born on November 15, 1921, in Detroit Michigan, the first child of Alexander Jefferson and Jane White Jefferson. His great-grandfather William Jefferson White was born to a slave woman and a white slave owner in the 1830s. Jefferson's grandfather became a minister, and in 1867, opened an all black school for boys in Augusta, Georgia, which trained its students exclusively for the ministry and pedagogy. Jefferson's grandfather moved the school to Atlanta, Georgia, where the name changed from Atlanta Baptist Seminary to Atlanta Baptist College. Today, it is known as Morehouse College.

Jefferson grew up in a Polish neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Craft Elementary School, Condon Intermediate School, and Chadsey High School. While in school, Jefferson spent most of his time in the biology and chemistry laboratories, at home reading from his mother's extensive library, and building model airplanes. He graduated from Chadsey High School in 1938 as the only African-American to take college preparatory classes. Jefferson received his B.A. degree in 1942 from Clark College in Atlanta. On September 23, 1942, he was sworn into the United States Army Reserves. He volunteered for flight training but was not accepted immediately. In the mean time, Jefferson went to work as an analytical chemist for three months before entering graduate school at Howard University.

In April 1943, Jefferson received orders to report to Tuskegee Army Air Field to begin flight training. He graduated as a second lieutenant in January 1944 and was classified as a replacement pilot for the 332nd Fighter Group. Jefferson continued his training at Selfridge Army Air Field Base, where he was under the instruction of First Lieutenants Charles Dryden and Stan Watson, who had flown in combat in 1943 in North Africa with the all-Black 99th Fighter Squadron. In June 1944, Jefferson's orders sent him to Ramitelli Air Base in Italy, where Colonel Benjamin O. Davis was the 332nd Fighter Group Commander. Jefferson flew eighteen missions before being shot down and captured on August 12, 1944. He spent eight months in the POW camp at Stalag Luft III., and was eventually freed on April 29, 1945.

Jefferson returned to civilian life in 1947, received his teaching certificate from Wayne State University, and began teaching elementary school science for the Detroit Public School System. Jefferson received his M.A. degree in education in 1954. He was appointed assistant principal in 1969 and served the Michigan School System for over 30 years. In 1995, Jefferson was enshrined in the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was awarded the Purple Heart, and in 2007, he received the Congressional Gold Medal. Jefferson is one of the founders of the Detroit and National chapters of the Tuskegee Airmen.

African American pilot, member of the Tuskegee Airmen fighter group; founding member of Tuskegee Airmen veterans group, both national organization and Detroit chapter.

Ret. Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson was born 15 November 1921 in Detroit, MI. He graduated from Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1942 and was working towards a Masters Degree in chemistry from Howard University in Washington, D.C. before entering the Aviation Cadet Program at Tuskegee Army Airfield, graduating in January 1944.

Jefferson fought in World War II as a P-51 fighter pilot in the famed Tuskegee Airmen segregated air force, the "Red-Tail" 332nd Fighter Group, and flew 18 long range escort missions for B-17 and B-24 bombers. Three days before the invasion of Southern France he was shot down by ground fire while strafing radar stations over Toulon, France on 12 August, 1944 and immediately captured by German troops. Jefferson spent five months in Stalag Luft III prison before being transferred to Stalag VIIA near Mooseburg, Germany by way of marching 80 kilometers in sub-zero temperatures and pressed into a "40 and 8" boxcar. Following the war Lt. Col. Jefferson served as an instrument instructor in advance training at Tuskegee Army Air Field and as a Staff Operations and Training Officer of the 9504th Air Recovery Squadron. He was discharged from active duty in 1947 and retired from the reserves in 1969 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Alexander Jefferson earned a Masters Degree of Education from Wayne University and taught science to elementary school students in Detroit. He retired as assistant principal in 1979. Jefferson was enshrined into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Purple Heart in 2004.

The first meeting of the Tuskegee Airmen took place on 14 July 1972 when a small group of veterans gathered in the home of Alexander Jefferson. Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated has since become a large national organization with 48 chapters (as of 2006), with Jefferson serving in the organization in a variety of capacities and making numerous public appearances and speeches.