CBS News — Dr. Roscoe Brown, a decorated member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, died over the weekend at the age of 94.
“Our beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather passed away on July 2, 2016. We thank you all for your love and support during this time,” Brown’s family said in a statement on Facebook.
One of the first African-American pilots in the U.S. military, Brown earned the Distinguished Flying Cross during World War II.
“You don’t think about it because, you know, he’s your grandfather, but when I would hear other people talk about what he did, that’s when started to realize that he did something special because basically what they did integrated the armed forces,” granddaughter Lisa Bodine told CBS Radio News.
Following the war, Brown earned his doctorate in education, becoming a professor at New York University. He later became president of Bronx Community College for 17 years.
Brown was also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.
