World War II Honoree

Cornelius Robinson Coffey

Hometown

Chicago, Illinois

Honored By

Richard E. Miller

FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO HOLD BOTH A PILOT'S AND AN AVIATION MECHANIC'S LICENSE AND TO ESTABLISH AN AERONAUTICAL SCHOOL IN THE U.S. THE COFFEY SCHOOL OF AERONAUTICS AT HARLEM AIRPORT, SOUTH OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, WAS THE ONLY NON-UNIVERSITY AFFILIATED AVIATION SCHOOL TO BECOME PART OF THE CIVIL AERONAUTICAL ADMINISTRATION'S CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING PROGRAM. FROM 1938 TO 1945, MORE THAN 1,500 AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS WENT THROUGH THE SCHOOL, INCLUDING MANY WHO WOULD ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE LEGENDARY ARMY AIR CORPS TRAINING PROGRAM AT TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA BECOMING SOME OF AMERICA'S FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMBAT PILOTS DURING THE WAR.