Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Sherman W. White, Jr.

(1919 - 1943)

— First Lieutenant, 99th Fighter Squadron —

Sherman W. White, Jr. Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 15, 2023

1. Sherman W. White, Jr. Marker

Inscription. Side 1:
Sherman, Sr. and Nettie White lived at this address on W. Jeff Davis Ave. Both teachers, they taught their children Sherman Jr., Willa, James, and Samson to love their country and value education. Willa, James, and Samson would graduate from college. Sherman, Jr. left school at the U. of Chicago to enlist as an Army Air Forces aviation cadet at Tuskegee, Alabama. At Tuskegee were trained the first African-American military aviators in the history of the U.S. Armed Forces. In the third class at Tuskegee, White graduated in May 1942 as a 2d. lieutenant, allowing him to make the payments on his parents' house. (Continued on other side)
Side 2:
(Continued from other side) White joined the 99th Fighter Squadron at Tuskegee, the U.S. Armed Forces' first all-black tactical air unit. Willa (WAC) and James White (QM Corps) served in the Army in WW II. Samson later was in the Army in the Korean War. Lt. Sherman White and the 99th moved to North Africa for combat. On July 2, 1943, escorting bombers over the Mediterranean, 99th P-40 fighters intercepted attacking German fighters. While protecting the bombers, the 99th had two of its P-40s shot down into the sea. White was one of the U.S. Armed Forces' first two black aviators killed in action.

Erected

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2004 by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Historical Preservation and Promotion Foundation & the Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Air & Space • War, Korean • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association, the Lost at Sea, the Tuskegee Airmen, and the Valor in Aerial Operations series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1942.

Location. 32° 21.972′ N, 86° 19.173′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Marker is at the intersection of West Jeff Davis Avenue and Adeline Street, on the right when traveling west on West Jeff Davis Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 694 West Jeff Davis Avenue, Montgomery AL 36108, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Highway Construction Destroys Historic Black Neighborhoods (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Holt Street Baptist Church (about 600 feet away); Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal AME Zion Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Black Churches Provide Significant Support for the March and Voting (approx. 0.2 miles away); Loveless School / Henry Allen Loveless (approx. ¼ mile away); From Bus Boycott to Voting Rights: Community Activism 1955-65

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 15, 2023

2. Sherman W. White, Jr. Marker

(approx. ¼ mile away); Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Four Points: One of Several Black Business Hubs in Montgomery (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, October 15, 2023

3. Sherman W. White, Jr. Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 3, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 964 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 15, 2023, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.