During WWII, Lt. Col. Alva Temple flew countless combat missions in Red-Tailed P-40s and P-51 Mustangs across the skies of Europe, dropping bombs and strafing German soldiers with the Tuskegee Airmen, the U.S. military’s first Black pilots.
Today, his name graces the door of Columbus-Lowndes County Airport’s terminal building and his photo greets those who stop for a respite at the Columbus-Lowndes County Airport’s terminal building.
But airport staff, local officials and members of the Temple family want to do more, enough that anyone walking through the airport will know Temple’s story, and hopefully, be inspired by it.
“It is my hope that … we can acquire tools in the form of historic artifacts, historic plaques, photos, videos and other items to help tell a story, and perhaps inspire young people,” Dan Duston, fixed-base operator for CLCA wrote in an email to The Dispatch.
“There’s often (a) misconception in young children that heroes or famous people do not live nearby. … Lt. Col. Temple is a local example of someone who got nothing handed to him, who did not give up when others said it could not be done, and look at what he accomplished.”
CLCA is seeking a $20,000 Mississippi Humanities Council America250 legacy grant to fund additions to the terminal that will highlight the history of Alva Temple, other Tuskegee Airmen and Southern Airways, the first airline to service the airport. Both the city council and Lowndes County Board of Supervisors agreed earlier this month to kick in an additional $10,000 each if the grant is approved.
If the airport receives the funds, the hope is to purchase metal plaques about Alva Temple’s story, as well as display cases and an educational documentary, said Susan Wilder, city grant administrator.
Duston said he has been looking for a way to expand the airport’s displays and jumped at the chance when an opportunity was presented earlier this month to apply for the grant.
“I’ve slowly been wanting to collect (historical items) and the family’s provided a handful of pictures. … But I would like to do more to help tell a story,” Duston told The Dispatch on Friday.
Alva Temple, originally from Carrollton, Alabama, flew 120 combat missions during the war and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He flew missions in countries like Italy, Hungary and Germany. In 1949 he and his team with the 332nd Fighter Group won the U.S. Air Force’s first “Top Gun” competition.
The Tuskegee Airmen served during the era of segregation and through their work on combat missions during the war paved the way for the desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1949, The National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen’s website said. The Tuskegee Airmen Air Force program was based at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama.
Alva Temple, after retiring from the military, settled in Columbus during the 1960s and passed away in 2004 at age 86.
Donald Temple, great-great-nephew of Alva Temple, said Alva was always more reserved when describing the importance of his role as one of the first Tuskegee Airmen.
“(He told us) he used to fly airplanes, and that’s all I ever knew about it until we started getting a little older, and then they started talking about him being one of the first Tuskegee Airmen,” Donald Temple said.
His hope in commemorating Alva Temple’s legacy is to inspire local Black students to follow their dreams and to exceed expectations just like his great-great-uncle did.
“It’s wonderful for them to be able to come out and learn about it, get a little bit more in depth into it, to see where (hard work) can take them (as they grow up),” Donald Temple said. “… They come out and they see this legacy, and (it may inspire them) to pick up and go further and further in life. … And that to us, is a great thing that we love to see.”
District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, who was friends with Alva Temple, said efforts like these are necessary to honor the Black history of Columbus and Lowndes County, ensuring it isn’t lost to time.
“I think from a Black history perspective, any visible project that will pay homage to African Americans that have been achievers will have a great influencing factor on the next generation,” Brooks said. “I am without a doubt certain that there are a number of people in this community that don’t know who Col. Temple is, especially young people. So I think any time you can pay homage to these people and put their story at the forefront. It reminds young Black kids that you can be successful, (and) that there are people from your community that have been successful.”
Remembering a legacy
Along with new display cabinets to showcase Tuskegee Airmen and Southern Airways memorabilia and metal placards telling Alva Temple’s story on the front and back of the terminal building, the airport would also like to fund production costs for a documentary about Alva Temple and the Tuskegee Airmen to play in the terminal’s lounge, Wilder said.
“The documentary would be the most expensive thing,” Wilder said. “… We could show it at different places, (like) schools. … So that’ll have more use than just out at the airport, which is what I’m excited about that for.”
The grant application, which was approved by both the city and county board of supervisors earlier this month, will be submitted by its Feb. 3 deadline, Wilder said.
After that Wilder said she hopes to hear back sometime in March about whether the airport was awarded the grant.
Duston said whatever is left over in grant funding he hopes to put toward purchasing additional mementos and historical items of the Tuskegee Airmen to display at the terminal building.
If the airport does not receive the grant, Duston said, it will seek other funding sources, including other grants opportunities or direct funding from the city council and county supervisors.
Frances Glenn, the tourism director for the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau, said later this year the board plans to add a historical marker for Alva Temple outside the airport to go alongside the potential museum additions.
“It’s important (and) it inspires young people when they see it and it informs everybody,” Glenn said. “… There’s such a rich African American history in Columbus and Lowndes County, and people just aren’t aware of the wonderful people and things and places that are in our community.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
