Sewickley Tuskegee Memorial Chairman Appoints New Trustees

Two Sewickley residents and the daughter of a Tuskegee soldier were recently elected as trustees of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial, a monument slated to be erected in the Sewickley Cemetery.

Regis D. Bobonis, Sr., historian, founder and chairman of the Tuskegee Memorial Project, appointed Edward Fulesday, G. Stratton Nash, and Kimberly L. Slater-Wood to fill vacant positions on the executive committee because of their backgrounds in organization development and public policy.

Edward Fulesday is CEO of AKF Trial Technologies; G. Stratton Nash grew up in Sewickley and is a member of the Sewickley Community Center board of directors; and Kimberly L. Slater-Wood is director of outreach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Slater-Wood's father, Sgt. Harold Slater, was also a flight line technician for the Tuskegee 477th Composite Squadron stationed at Godman Field, KY.

Bobonis said Fulesday has been named assistant secretary, Nash as second vice chairman and chairperson of strategic planning, and Slater-Wood as secretary.

The memorial celebrates the Greater Pittsburgh Tuskegee Airmen legacy and recognizes the history of western Pennsylvania’s first black military aviators. 

Within the past six months Bobonis said he uncovered six additional Tuskegee Airmen who served with the 477th. All six hail from the Hill District and their names will be added to the list of soldiers on the memorial. The Tuskegee Airmen are the late Sgt. Cornelius Littlejohn, Cpl. James Colbert, Sgt. Edwin Wilson, Airmen J. H. Williamson and Norris and Morris Hayes, the Hayes twins.

"This raises the number of Airmen from the Hill District community to 22, the largest number of Airmen from within the City of Pittsburgh," Bobonis said in a news release.

Construction on the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Project is slated to begin soon in the Sewickley Cemetery. Plans include a plaza, four benches and a large monument with a red "tail” on the back.

--

Keeping up with news in the Sewickley Patch is easy—simply sign up for our dailyemail newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.