Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, passed away at the age of 100. Stewart was among the first 1,000 Black pilots trained at the Tuskegee Army Airfield during World War II. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery while escorting U.S. bombers and shooting down enemy aircraft. In 2006, the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Stewart’s memoir, “Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airman’s Firsthand Account of World War II,” was published in 2019.
Stewart was fascinated by airplanes from a young age and learned to fly before he could drive. He served as a pilot in WWII, contributing to the fight against fascism. After the war, he earned a mechanical engineering degree from New York University and went on to work for ANR Pipeline Co. in Detroit. He urged for progress in racial attitudes and celebrated his centennial birthday with a party at Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport.
Stewart’s dedication to service continued long after the war, and he was remembered as a kind man with a distinguished career. Only one of the original Tuskegee Airmen is still alive. Stewart is survived by his daughter, Lori Collette Stewart, of Bloomfield Hills. Funeral arrangements for Stewart are pending, and his legacy as a trailblazer for Black pilots in the military remains a significant part of history.
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