circa 1919-1943

Grogan Photo Company

Postcard

Title: Control Tower, Selfridge Field, Mich.

A postcard titled "Control Tower, Selfridge Field, Mich." with a photo of four white airmen in the control tower. One looks out through binoculars while the others wear aviator sunglasses.

GLC09587.055

circa 1919-1943

Document

Title: [Flight chart]

A handwritten chart with several columns: check points, "M.h. / CH," distance in miles, ETA, ATA, and marks. The chart is filled out with various flights executed by LeRoi Williams to check points such as Dadeville, Summerville, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Atlanta.

GLC09587.056

circa 1919-1943

Williams, Eugene, fl. 1940

Autograph letter signed

Title: To LeRoi Williams

A letter from Eugene Williams to his brother LeRoi. He asks LeRoi how farm life is and how the Greens are doing. He mentions that Geraldine is always asking when he'll come home. He finishes the letter by imploring LeRoi to ask if he may come to the farm as well. There is a drawing of a conductor, labeled as such, saying "FARMVILL!" and Eugene, also labeled, saying "okay." Below, he signs off lovingly with his full name, Eugene Warsenure Bernard Williams.

GLC09587.057

circa 1919-1943

Note

Title: [Flight chart]

A handwritten chart that appears to list flight distances and times.

GLC09587.058

circa 1919-1943

Note

Title: [Flight plan]

A handwritten flight plan without destinations. The plans are notated by dots and lines, along with several numbers.

GLC09587.059

circa 1919-1943

Note

Title: [Flight plan]

A handwritten flight plan detailing the voyage from Atlanta to Chattanooga and back. On the back of the second page, there are handwritten math equations.

GLC09587.060

Circa 1941-1943

Williams, LeRoi S., 1919-1943

Autograph letter signed

Title: to the family of LeRoi Williams

LeRoi Williams writes to his family about his flight training and a recent cross country flight he made at night, from Chattanooga to Atlanta. He says he has enclosed the flight plan he used and describes how to read it.

GLC09587.062

circa 1943

Typed document

Title: [Eulogy for LeRoi Williams by his Family]

Eulogy for LeRoi Williams, attributed to his family. It lists LeRoi's accomplishments at both the Hampton Institute and the Tuskegee Army Air Force School, including his playing of chimes and his devotion to his family, country, and God. It ends with a poem about faith after loss. The first page is missing.

GLC09587.063

1941-1945

Pickett, Ludo C., fl. 1943-1944

Typed letter signed

Title: to Mrs. Cordelia S. Williams

Letter to Cordelia Williams from Ludo C. Pickett, the Director of Retirement Claims at the Railroad Retirement Board. Pickett says he has enclosed application forms that Williams must complete and return. The first page is missing. This may be the second page of another letter Cordelia Williams recieved from the Railroad Retirement Board (see GLC09587.039).

GLC09587.064

1942

Newspaper clipping

Title: [Vultee "Valiants"]

Newspaper clipping from unknown newspaper. Front is black and white photograph of planes and a man. Caption says: "late in 1943, when Kelly became a training center for instructors, these Vultee 'Valiants' joined its fleet." Handwritten notes say "BT's" in top right and bottom center. Reverse is ad for Rohm & Haas Company, which sells transparent plastic for planes.

GLC09587.066

1941-1945

Newspaper clipping

Title: ["Swoose" plane]

This newspaper clipping is from an unknown newspaper. The front is a black and white photograph of a plane in flight. Caption reads: "designed for use in snow, this novel ski-wheel gear is on North American 'Texan' (AT-6, SNJ). It was dubbed 'Swoose.'" Handwritten in pencil says "AT we don't use the skis" on the bottom center. The reverse is information about a plane called the Fieseler Fi-156K.

GLC09587.067

circa 28 July 1943

Newspaper clipping

Title: 27 Army Pilots

Two newspaper clippings about the graduation of "Le Roi" S. Williams from the "Tuskegee Army Air Field as second lieutenants in the Army Air Forces." The first clipping lists the names and hometowns of all the men who graduated from the Tuskegee Army Air Field institute, LeRoi is mentioned. The second clipping is a black and white photograph of the recent graudates, captioned "27 Army Pilots."

GLC09587.068

circa 14 October 1943

Newspaper clipping

Title: Negro Pilot Dead in Plane Crash

Two newspaper articles are attached to a piece of paper. The first clipping is an article about the plane crash and death of Lt. LeRoi S. Williams. Included is a small black and white photograph of him. The second clipping is about another Lieutenant who had to "bail out of his riddled plane." This clipping is the same as the one in GLC09587.070.

GLC09587.069

circa 14 October 1943

Newspaper clipping

Title: Negro Pilot Dead in Plane Crash

Newspaper clipping about the plane crash and death of Lt. LeRoi S. Williams. There is a small black and white photograph included. This clipping is the same as GLC09587.069.

GLC09587.070

3 July 1943

Newspaper clipping

Title: Negroes' Flying Unit Scores First Victory

Newspaper clipping details a successful mission of a black air force unit. It mentions that General Dwight D. Eisenhower congratulated the first lieutenant, Charles Hall of Brazil, Indiana for shooting down an enemy plane.

GLC09587.071

circa October 1943

Newspaper clipping

Title: Full Military Honors for Lt. LeRoi S. Williams

Two newspaper clippings. The front of the first has two black and white photographs, one is cut off at the top. The bottom one is of LeRoi Williams being lowered into the ground in a casket draped with an American flag. Text below the photo describes the scene and mentions that his mother, Cordelia Williams and his brother, Harold Hamilton Williams, were present at the burial. The text mentions that LeRoi was awarded full military honors. The second clipping has two black and white photographs from LeRoi's funeral. The reverse of the second clipping is a black and white photograph of three…

GLC09587.072

1943

Newspaper clipping

Title: Two Virignia Pilots Die In Midair Crash

Three newspaper clippings from the same article about LeRoi Williams' death. The article notes that Williams and another pilot, Lt. William Walker, crashed into one another midair near Selfridge Field, Michigan, at 3:10pm, October 14, 1943. There is a photo of each man. The article lists LeRoi's survivors as his mother, Corporal James T. Williams, Capt. Eugene Williams, Prof. H. H. Williams, Mrs. Virginia Williams, and Mrs. Edna Geraldine Williams. The article misspells Virginia as "Virignia."

GLC09587.073

1941-1945

Williams, LeRoi S., 1919-1943

Telegram

Title: to Cordelia Williams

A Mother's Day Telegram from LeRoi Williams to his mother Cordelia.

GLC09587.074

15 October 1943

Western Union

Telegram

Title: to Cordelia Williams

A telegram from Colonel Boyd of Selfridge Field Air Base asking Cordelia Williams where her son LeRoi's remains should be sent.

GLC09587.075

15 October 1943

Western Union

Telegram

Title: to H Hamilton Williams

Condolence telegram written to H. Hamilton Williams after the death of his brother "Leroy".

GLC09587.076

16 October 1943

Western Union

Telegram

Title: to the Williams family

Condolence telegram written to the "William" family after the death of LeRoi Williams. Signed by "The Wainwrights."

GLC09587.077

16 October 1943

Western Union

Telegram

Title: to Mrs. C S Williams

Telegram written to Cordelia Williams informing her that "Brother" is arriving at 11:50 that night on "16=".

GLC09587.078

16 October 1943

Western Union

Telegram

Title: to Cordelia Williams

A condolence telegram sent to Cordelia Williams by Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Stewart after the death of LeRoi Williams.

GLC09587.079

16 October 1943

Western Union

Telegram

Title: to James Williams and Family

A condolence telegram sent to James Williams and his family by Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Thompson after the death of LeRoi Williams.

GLC09587.080

16 October 1943

Western Union

Telegram

Title: to Mrs James T Williams

A condolence telegram sent to Mrs. James T. Williams by Clarence and Lillian Paxton Smith after the death of LeRoi Williams.

GLC09587.081