RIP: Tuskegee Airman Robert L. Harvey dies at 97
Dayton man who trained with Tuskegee Airmen dies at 97
DAYTON — A Dayton area man who was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen has died at age 97.
Robert L. Harvey Sr., was in training with the group of pioneering African American airmen when the war ended in Europe, according to the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. He died Dec. 18.
Harvey was a member of the Ohio Memorial Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen in Columbus.
In a 2014 interview with this newspaper, the 1937 Dunbar High School graduate said he avoided being drafted in the Navy to join the Tuskegee Airmen.
“There was no advancement for black people in the Navy at the time,” he said in the interview. “None.”
The pioneering airmen flew in racially segregated units in Europe battling Nazi Germany and escorting U.S. bombers on dangerous wartime missions.
“It’s sad but it’s also humbling to know he made an impact at a time where segregation was high,” said Coya Mobley, 60, a cousin who lives in Harrison Twp.
Some of Harvey’s fellow airmen had qualms about flying, but he never did. “I just felt a sense of jubilation,” he said in the 204 interview. “There’s nothing like being up there by yourself.”
In 2007, Harvey attended a Washington, D.C., ceremony President George W. Bush presented the Tuskegee Airmen a Congressional Gold Medal.
“We weren’t surprised,” said Harvey, who kept a bronze replica at his home. “We just wondered why it took so long.”
Harvey had a 45-year career at the U.S. Postal Service, where he rose through the ranks to become a director of customer relations. He attended Miami University and the University of Dayton. He also was married to his wife, Cora, who preceded him in death. The couple had three adult children.
Mobley said her cousin was a gentle man who never raised his voice and doted on his children and grandchildren.
Funeral services were set for 11 a.m. Friday at Greater Allen AME Church, 1620 W. Fifth St. in Dayton. Visitation begins at 10 a.m. Interment will be at 1 p.m. the Dayton National Cemetery.