Mitchell Higginbotham

{{Infobox person

| name = Mitchell Higginbotham

| image = File:Mitchell Higginbotham.jpeg

| image_size = 150px

| caption = Mitchell Higginbotham

| birth_date = March 2, 1921

| birth_place = Amherst, Virginia

| death_date = February 14, 2016 (aged 94)

| death_place = Rancho Mirage, California

| nationality = American

| occupation = U.S. Army Air Force

| years_active = 1942-1946 (active), 1946-1962 (reserve)

| known_for = Tuskegee Airmen

| alma_mater= University of ColoradoMS in Labor Relations

| spouse =

| parents =

| children =

| relatives = Robert Higginbotham (brother)

| awards = Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen

}}

Mitchell Higginbotham (March 2, 1921 – February 14, 2016) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer who was a member of the African American World War II fighter group known as the Tuskegee Airmen.{{cite web|title=Guide to the Mitchell Higginbotham Papers|url=http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt329024rm|publisher=Regents of the University of California|accessdate=27 November 2013}}{{cite web | url=http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2016/02/16/tuskegee-airman-mitchell-higginbotham-rancho-mirage/80462204/ | title=Tuskegee Airman of Rancho Mirage dies at 94 | publisher=The Desert Sun | date=16 February 2016 | accessdate=18 February 2016}}

Biography

=Early life=

Higginbotham was born on March 2, 1921 in Amherst, Virginia, to Plinkam L Higginbotham and Hester Higginbotham.1930 Federal Census He has a younger brother, Robert, who also became a member of the U.S. military.{{cite web|title=Tuskegee Airman from Sewickley reflects on obstacles|url=http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yoursewickley/yoursewickleymore/4642113-74/tuskegee-higginbotham-sewickley#axzz2lrin1Ad4|publisher=Trib Total Media, Inc.|accessdate=27 November 2013}}

=Military career=

Higginbotham joined the U.S. military in the summer 1942. He subsequently was accepted into the Tuskegee Army Airfield Class TE-44-K from which he graduated on February 1, 1945, with a commission as a Second Lieutenant. Higginbotham became one of the original members of the Tuskegee Airmen when he was assigned to the 477th Bombardment Group. He served on active duty through the end of World War II; in 1946, he left active duty but continued as a member of the U.S. Army Air Force Reserves. He initially flew fighter aircraft but eventually moved up to flying B-52s.

Higginbotham's younger brother Robert also joined the military during World War II two years after his older brother; however, Robert Higginbotham became a pilot for the Navy Air Corps.

File:Freeman Field Mutiny.jpg

Higginbotham was one of 100 black servicemen who were arrested for attempting to enter an officers club reserved for white officers. This event became known as the Freeman Field Mutiny; it is widely seen as a key moment in the path towards full integration of the U.S. Armed Services.{{cite book|last=Francis|first=Charles E.|title=The Tuskegee airmen : the men who changed a nation|year=1997|publisher=Branden|location=Boston|pages=[https://archive.org/details/tuskegeeairmenme00char/page/231 231–255]|isbn=9780828320290|edition=4th|editor=Adolph Caso|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/tuskegeeairmenme00char/page/231}}

=Civilian career=

Following his years of active duty, Higginbotham went to work for the Los Angeles Airport Advisory Committee, working as a registrar at the Pittsburg Airport. He also served as a probation officer for nearly thirty years.

Awards

Higginbotham and his brother Robert both attended the ceremony in 2007 where the Congressional Gold Medal was collectively presented to the Tuskegee Airmen for their contributions during World War II. He also received "Man of the Year" Award from the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc in 1996.

=Articles=

{{cite news|last=Thomas-Lester|first=Avis|title=Tuskegee Airmen's ranks may be smaller, but these veterans are still flying high|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tuskegee-airmens-ranks-may-be-smaller-but-these-veterans-are-still-flying-high/2011/08/04/gIQAv6MCvI_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003602/http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-08-04/local/35270564_1_tuskegee-airmen-bomber-pilot-world-war-ii|url-status=live|archive-date=December 3, 2013|access-date=27 November 2013|newspaper=Washington Post|date=August 4, 2011}}

=Archival resources=

[http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt329024rm Mitchell Higginbotham Papers] (6.25 linear feet) are housed in the Special Collections & Archives of the University of California, Riverside Libraries.

References

External links

[http://www.lactai.org/ Los Angeles Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20131204121846/http://www.tuskegee.edu/about_us/legacy_of_fame/tuskegee_airmen.aspx Tuskegee Airmen] at Tuskegee University
[http://library.ucr.edu/?view=tuskegee/index.html Tuskegee Airmen Archives] at the University of California, Riverside Libraries.
[http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yoursewickley/yoursewickleymore/4642113-74/tuskegee-higginbotham-sewickley#axzz2lrin1Ad4 Tuskegee Airman from Sewickley reflects on obstacles]
[http://tuskegeeairmen.org/ Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.]
[https://www.nps.gov/tuai/index.htm Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site] (U.S. National Park Service)
[http://www.tuskegeeairmennationalmuseum.org/ Tuskegee Airmen National Museum]