Military
Alexander Jefferson
1921–2022 · Tuskegee Airman, prisoner of war, teacher
Detroit-born Tuskegee Airman who was shot down over France in 1944, survived a German POW camp, then taught science in Detroit public schools for decades; he lived to 100.
- Born
Detroit, Michigan- Died
Detroit, Michigan
aged 100- Detroit years
- 1921–2022
- Field
- Military
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Alexander Jefferson was born in Detroit in 1921. He attended Craft Elementary, Munger Intermediate and Chadsey High School, graduating in 1938 as the only African American in its college-preparatory classes. After college and a brief job as a chemist, he joined the Army Air Forces and trained at Tuskegee, flying P-51 Mustangs with the 332nd Fighter Group, the famed 'Red Tails.' On August 12, 1944, he was shot down over southern France and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner in the German camps Stalag Luft III and Stalag VII-A. Back home, he earned a teaching certificate at Wayne State in 1947 and taught elementary science in Detroit public schools for decades, later becoming an assistant principal. He co-founded the Detroit chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., wrote the memoir Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free and received the Congressional Gold Medal with his fellow airmen. He died in Detroit in 2022, aged 100.
Highlights
- Tuskegee Airman, 332nd Fighter Group
- Shot down and held as a POW in Germany, 1944–1945
- Science teacher in Detroit public schools for decades
- Author of Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free
- Congressional Gold Medal (2007) with the Tuskegee Airmen
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · 1934–1938
Chadsey High School
Closed · 2009
Southwest Detroit public high school from which he graduated in 1938.
Studied here · 1947
Wayne State University
He earned his teaching certificate here in 1947.