On the recordMarch 25, 2019
Last week the city of Fort Worth said good- bye to its last surviving member of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen, Robert T. McDaniel. Born in Fort Worth, Mr. McDaniel was a proud graduate of Fort Worth ISD, where he excelled as a student. In 1940, he finished as class president and valedictorian at the venerable I.M. Terrell High School. At a time when the military was still segregated and Black men were not welcomed in the service, Mr. McDaniel became a member of the first class of African American bombardiers in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was part of a group of skilled Black airmen who flew combat aircraft in World War II. After serving his country, Mr. McDaniel returned to Fort Worth to teach at I.M. Terrell and later became a principal and a counselor. In this role, he worked to inspire a generation of leaders in Fort Worth's Black community that is countless. As many of his friends will tell you, Mr. McDaniel never boasted about his military service, and only a few people knew about his service to the Nation as a Tuskegee Airman. I know that we are going to miss Mr. McDaniel. I also wanted to touch on the fact that I will never forget when his wife, Hester, died. They were married for 55 years, and they were an institution in the Black community in Fort Worth. Everybody knew them. They were just a lovely couple. He was so sad when she passed away. They were always at each other's side. While we will miss Mr.…
