LYNCHBURG, Va. – A new statue at the Lynchburg Regional Airport was unveiled this weekend to honor an influential founding member of the National Airmen’s Association.
Chauncey Edward Spencer Sr. made it possible for people of color to be trained at the Tuskegee Army Airfield during World War II.
His efforts paved the way for integration in the military at that time.
Saturday, his family joined others at the Lynchburg Regional Airport for the statue’s unveiling.
His son, Chauncey Spencer II had a hand in the process of his fathers statue.
“It’s very important to me because after he died in 2002, I saw where our history was being lost as the hero’s die so do their voices, Spencer II said. “I decided to be a voice for those the shoulders that we all stand on that nobody’s history, and nobody’s legacy will be left behind it will always be the next generation to continue that history we will be the give of the past in order to build a better future.
Spencer Senior became the first African American in the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.
In 2006, the Tuskegee Airmen were voted to receive a Congressional Gold Medal, the most prestigious award Congress can give.