Retired Lt. Colonel Luke Weathers, a.k.a. “Big Luke” Weathers, was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen and the first black air traffic controller in Memphis, Tennessee. He passed away last Saturday at age 90.
The Grenada, Mississippi native graduated from Xavier University of New Orleans. He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen from 1942 to 1945. During the war, Weathers downed two German fighter planes that attacked Army Air Force bombers he had been charged with escorting. Friends of Weathers said that he wanted to contribute to the war with a marketable skill, “not just peeking potatoes or scrubbing pots and pans.”
Weathers, like other Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, carried out missions throughout Northern Africa and Europe for allied Forces. When he returned to Memphis from the war in 1945, Weathers was presented with a parade down Beale Street.
But unfortunately, the job opportunities for a star black pilot were scarce. He was fortunate to obtain a job as the first black air traffic controller at the FAA in Memphis. His first assignment took him to Galena, Alaska. He retired in 1985.
Weathers stayed physically active, swimming every day until he was 80 years old. Four years ago, he and other surviving Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
For a full list of the Tuskegee Airmen pilots, click here.
