|
State's first licensed black female pilot dies at 90
TUSKEGEE -- Herbert and Mildred Carter courted above Lake Martin, blowing kisses at the start of a 70-year love affair that lasted until her final breath on Friday.
She was Alabama's first licensed black female pilot, a civilian flying a Piper Cub, and he was a Tuskegee Airman at the controls of a much bigger, faster Army Air Corps trainer.
They flew in a two-plane formation over Kowaliga -- a handsome young man in one and his "wing-woman" in the other -- laughing and exchanging silent "I love you" signals over their engine noise 3,000 feet above the lake.
"We didn't have radio contact, so we made up for it with hand signals and blew kisses at each other," the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel said Tuesday afternoon. "It was a lot of fun."
Funeral services for Carter, who died at the age of 90, will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Tuskegee's St. Andrews Episcopal Church with the Rev. Liston Garfield officiating. Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 2 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Peoples Funeral Home Chapel with family hour between 6 and 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Andrews Episcopal Church.
Herbert Carter, who compiled a distinguished flying record during World War II and, later, in peacetime, recalled those unauthorized rendezvous flights over the lake.
"I was a maintenance officer as well as a combat pilot and one of my jobs was to take planes up for a test flight after we worked on them," he said. "That's when we came up with the idea of flying over the lake. Nobody ever said anything to me about what we did."
Both had to overcome racial prejudices and discriminatory practices when they learned to fly, but they persevered. As the years passed, they became the "first family" of the Tuskegee Airmen organization and represented the group at functions around the world.
Mildred Carter traveled with her husband whenever possible as long as they didn't interfere with her domestic duties helping to supervise their growing family.
She only accumulated 150 hours in the air, much fewer than her husband's 5,500 hours in prop planes and jets, but she was well aware of just how historic her license became.
"It's sad that more people aren't aware of her significant achievement," Montgomery historian Richard Bailey said. "She was a role model for young black women pilots who followed and carried herself with grace and dignity."
Herbert Carter Jr., one of the couple's three children, said his mother often regretted that she came along a little too early and couldn't achieve her dream of becoming a WASP (Women's Air Force Service Pilots), which was an all-white female group that served during World War
II.
Earlier this year, Mildred Carter was honored at the Tuskegee Human and Multicultural Center where praise was heaped on her for her aviation exploits.Smiles abounded and hers were the
biggest.
Sitting in a wheelchair in the front row, she received a large arrangement of roses in front of a screen showing an enlarged photo of her as a young woman. She was lauded throughout the program.
Her health continued to deteriorate during the year, but her strong will kept her alive to help celebrate three important family events.
She made it to her 68th wedding anniversary on Aug. 21 and her 90th birthday Sept. 14. According to her son, she quipped that: "I might as well hang around" for her husband's 94th birthday on Sept. 27. She did just that.
Herbert Carter said his wife was under hospice care during her final months "and knew that time was short. It was a very comfortable passing and she was in no pain."
Mrs. Carter is survived by her husband, three children, a sister, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
|
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
