Lawrence E. Roberts

Lawrence Edward Roberts Sr. (December 9, 1922 – October 12, 2004) was a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen and a colonel in the United States Air Force,[1] with 32 years of total military service.[2] He is the father of newscaster Robin René Roberts and Sally-Ann Roberts .[3]

Lawrence E. Roberts
Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts
Birth nameLawrence Edward Roberts
Born(1922-12-09)December 9, 1922
Vauxhall, New Jersey
DiedOctober 12, 2004(2004-10-12) (aged 81)
Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
Place of burial
Biloxi National Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Forces
United States Air Force
Years of service1943–1975
RankColonel
Unit477th Medium Bombardment Group
332d Fighter Wing
Battles/warsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War

Personal life

Roberts was born on December 9, 1922, in the Vauxhall section of Union Township, Union County, New Jersey.[2] He was married to Lucimarian Tolliver for 57 years. They had four children: Lawrence E. Roberts, Jr., Sally-Ann Roberts, Dorothy Roberts McEwen Ricketts, and Robin René Roberts.[3] [4] Roberts was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.[5]

Roberts attended Howard University, received his bachelor's from Morningside College, and received his master's degree from the Tuskegee Institute.[6]

Military service

Roberts entered the United States Army Air Corps at Keesler Air Force Base in 1943. He was assigned to the Tuskegee Airmen program in 1944. Roberts flew Piper Cubs, North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, Douglas C-54 Skymaster transports and North American F-86 Sabre fighter jets.[2] Roberts also served as an instructor in Tuskegee University's Air Force ROTC program from 1958 to 1960.[3]

He served in the Vietnam War and received 18 service medals and awards.[2]

Later life

Roberts was one of the founding members of the Keesler Air Force Base Gospel Service, the oldest Gospel service in the United States Air Force. The only Mississippi chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Club was named in his honor.[7] On October 12, 2004, Roberts died at his home in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the age of 81 of a heart attack.[2] He was buried with full military honors.[8] Services were held at the Triangle Chapel at Keesler Air Force Base near Biloxi and he was buried at Biloxi National Cemetery.[5]

Since his death, Roberts posthumously received awards throughout the country. In 2004, shortly after he died, the Mississippi Legislature drafted a resolution honoring his life and on March 29, 2007,[6] he posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal.[4][9] President George W. Bush honored Roberts with the Congressional Gold Medal for bravery, patriotism and helping persuade President Harry S. Truman to desegregate armed forces.[2] In March 2009, a sculpture by Marlin Miller was dedicated in War Memorial Park in Pass Christian, Mississippi.[10] On September 10, 2009, a new consolidated aircraft maintenance facility for the 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB was dedicated and named in Roberts's honor.[11][12]

His daughter Robin Roberts executive produced and narrated the one-hour documentary Tuskegee Airmen: Legacy of Courage for History,[13] which premiered on 10 February 2021.[14]

See also

Notes
  1. "List of Pilot Graduates". Tuskegee University. Archived from the original on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  2. "Colonel (Retired) Lawrence E Roberts". Keesler Air Force Base. Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  3. "Good Morning America's Roberts Flies in Honor of Her Tuskegee Airman Father". Tuskegee University. November 18, 2003. Archived from the original on September 4, 2006. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  4. Roberts, Kimberly C. (2007). "ABC's Robin Roberts Recalls The Relationship That Shaped Her Life" (PDF). The Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
  5. Hines, Jane (December 2004). "Col. Lawrence E. Roberts Was a Hero and a Gentleman". Presbyterian Voice. Synod of Living Waters. 15 (6). Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  6. "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 503" (PDF). Mississippi Legislature. 2004. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  7. "Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Chapters" (PDF). Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  8. Martin, Jamie (October 20, 2004). "Tuskegee airman Lawrence E. Roberts, Oct. 12". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  9. Edney, Hazel Trice. "Tuskegee Airmen Get Late Justice". Call & Post. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  10. "Sculptor honors Tuskegee Airman". WLOX. March 28, 2009. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  11. Hicks, Jonathan (September 10, 2009). "Aircraft maintenance facility dedicated to Tuskegee Airman". 81st Training Wing Public Affairs, United States Air Force. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  12. "Media Advisory: Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Facility Dedication Ceremony Honoring Col. (Ret.) Lawrence E. Roberts". Keesler Air Force Base. August 26, 2009. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  13. "Tuskegee Airmen: Legacy of Courage". HISTORY. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  14. Magee, Ny (2021-01-28). "HISTORY Channel Announces New 'Tuskegee Airmen' Documentary from Robin Roberts". EURweb. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
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