B6 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19 , 2022
obituaries
MICHEL DU CILLE/THE WASHINGTON POSTAviator Charles E. McGhee, seen in 2007, broke racial barriers during World War II as a m ember of the all-Black Tuskegee Airmen. He
logged a remarkable 409 combat missions over a 3 0-year career, including service in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
BY HARRISON SMITHCharles E. McGee, a retired Air
Force brigadier general who flew
combat missions in three wars
and broke racial barriers as a
Tuskegee Airman, serving in an
all-Black unit during World War
II and helping inspire the next
generation of aviators with his
fortitude and courage, died
Jan. 16 at his home in Bethesda.
He was 102.
The cause was not yet known,
but he had been recovering from
a brief hospitalization, said his
daughter Charlene McGee Smith.
His death was also announced on
Twitter by Defense Secretary
Lloyd Austin and Vice President
Harris, who both called him “an
American hero.”
Gen. McGee was one of the last
surviving Tuskegee Airmen, who
overcame racism and oppression
to fly World War II combat mis-
sions at a time when the armed
forces were still segregated and
some officers questioned wheth-
er African Americans had the
skill, intelligence and courage to
become military pilots.
“Once we proved that we could
fly, they said we didn’t have the
guts to fight in combat,” he said in
a 1989 interview with The Wash-
ington Post. “But our record,” he
added wryly, “speaks for itself.”
Relatively few Allied bombers
were lost on their watch, and the
Tuskegee Airmen were credited
with destroying more than 250
enemy aircraft, including a Ger-
man fighter that Gen. McGee shot
down while escorting B-17s over
Czechoslovakia.
Over a 30-year career in the
Army Air Forces and its successor,
the Air Force, Gen. McGee logged
6,308 flying hours and a remark-
able 409 combat missions, among
the most in service history. He
flew bombing and strafing mis-
sions out of Pusan during the
Korean War and piloted a photo-
graphic reconnaissance plane
based near Saigon during the
Vietnam War, going on at least
100 combat missions in both con-
flicts. In each war, his plane was
hit by enemy fire, both times on
the right wing.
Although he retired in 1973 as a
colonel, he celebrated his 100th
birthday with an honorary pro-
motion, with President Donald
Trump pinning the general’s star
on his uniform at a White House
ceremony in 2020. He was
cheered by a joint session of
Congress at Trump’s State of the
Union address a few hours later,
and that same year he joined
three other centenarian veterans
in presenting the coin toss at
Super Bowl LIV.
“Folks say, ‘You’re a hero.’ I
don’t see it like that,” Gen. McGee
said in 2018, when he celebrated
his 99th birthday by piloting a
private HondaJet between Dulles
International Airport and the
Hampton Roads region in Vir-
ginia. “I just say life’s been a
blessing.”
The second of three children,
Charles Edward McGee was born
in Cleveland on Dec. 7, 1919. One
of his great-grandfathers was en-
slaved before fighting in the Civil
War and serving as a minister.
Gen. McGee’s father was also a
minister, and took jobs as a teach-
er and social worker, leading the
family to move across the Mid-
west. His mother died when he
was a toddler.
After graduating from high
school in Chicago in 1938, Gen.
McGee spent a year with the
Civilian Conservation Corps,
earning money to enroll at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign. He s tudied engineer-
ing and joined the ROTC. By the
time his draft card arrived, he had
decided that the infantry was not
for him. “I knew what the foot
soldiers had to face,” he recalled,
“so I said something had to be
better.”
Upon learning that an all-
Black aviation unit was training
nearby, at Chanute Field — at the
time, the squadron only included
mechanics and support person-
nel — he applied to the Tuskegee
program and was accepted as a
pilot. He got his flight-school
orders in October 1942, two days
after he married a college class-
mate, Frances Nelson. (He later
christened his P-51 fighter “Kit-
ten,” after a nickname for his wife
— and also because his crew chief
“kept that engine purring like a
kitten,” as he put it.)
Gen. McGee headed south to
the Tuskegee Army Air Field in
Alabama but was puzzled at hav-
ing to change his seat when the
train crossed the Mason-Dixon
Line. He arrived at a f light school
that was in the heart of the Jim
Crow South, and he relied on
fellow aviators for guidance.
“Other cadets who grew up in the
South let us know what was safe
to do and what not to do,” he
recalled.
More than 900 Black pilots
trained at Tuskegee, and more
than 400 served overseas, pilot-
ing aircraft that were easily iden-tifiable by the red paint on their
tails. The pilots became symbols
of Black excellence at a t ime when
many African Americans were
waging a “Double Victory” cam-
paign, fighting for freedom from
Axis powers overseas and from
racism at home. “You could say
that one of the things we were
fighting for was equality,” Gen.
McGee told the Associated Press
in 1995. “Equality of opportunity.
We knew we had the same skills,
or better.”
Gen. McGee arrived in Italy in
1944 as a member of the 332nd
Fighter Group and flew more
than 130 patrol, escort and straf-
ing missions, piloting P-39 Aira-
cobras, P-47 Thunderbolts and
P-51 Mustangs. After President
Harry S. Truman issued a 1948
executive order banning racial
segregation in the military, Gen.
McGee held several command
posts, becoming the first African
American to oversee a stateside
Air Force wing and base in the
integrated Air Force.
His military decorations in-
cluded the Legion of Merit, Dis-
tinguished Flying Cross, BronzeStar Medal and Air Medal. He
later said he had considered leav-
ing the military after World War
II but decided “the airlines
weren’t ready” for Black pilots.
Gen. McGee returned to school
to receive a bachelor’s degree in
business, graduating from Co-
lumbia College in Missouri in- He w orked in real estate and
directed what is now the Charles
B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in
Kansas City, where a terminal
was renamed in his honor last
year.
The Tuskegee Airmen were col-
lectively awarded a Congres-
sional Gold Medal, the highest
honor Congress can give civilians,
in 2007 for their “unique military
record that inspired revolution-
ary reform in the Armed Forces.”
Four years later, Gen. McGee was
inducted into the National Avia-
tion Hall of Fame.
In addition to his daughter
McGee Smith, of Athens, Ohio,
and Annapolis, survivors include
two other children, Ronald Mc-
Gee of Las Vegas and Yvonne G.
McGee of Bethesda; 10 grandchil-
dren; 14 great-grandchildren;
and a great-great-granddaughter.
His wife, Frances, died in 1994.
Gen. McGee was a former pres-
ident of Tuskegee Airmen Inc.,
which promotes the unit’s his-
tory. He frequently spoke at avia-
tion events and school assem-
blies, encouraging young people
to follow their dreams and to go
into aviation. Flying, he would
say, was something of a religious
experience.
“There’s no way to tell you how
it was, in an airplane, alone at
35,000 feet,” he said in The Post
interview, looking back on his
years as a military pilot. “No
noise. No c lutter of the earth. It’s a
feeling I didn’t know would be
there when I first became a pilot,
but it’s what kept me up there.”
He winked. “It’s probably the
closest I’ll ever get to heaven.”
[email protected]
CHARLES E. MCGEE, 102
Barrier-breaking Tuskegee Airman
flew combat missions in three wars
DAVID TULIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Retired Air Force Col. Charles E. McGee, seen in 2019, later received an honorary promotion to
brigadier general. His decorations include the Legion of Merit and a Congressional G old Medal.DUDLEY M. BROOKS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Gen. McGee is seen throughout
his lengthy military career in
photos at his Bethesda home.IN MEMORIAMCLIFTON LEEFARMER
Our Dearest Husband,Father,and Grandad.
Remembering your Life and your Legacy 6
years on today,seems likealifetime.Still
LovingYou, your wife Virginia, your sons,
Russell and D'Wayne,daughters,Bernice and
Karen, and the grandkids.FARMERDEATH NOTICELOU ETTABARNETT
Peacefully entered into eternal rest onFriday,
January 7, 2022. Beloved and survived by
nieces,nephews,cousins,and ahost of other
relatives and friends.The family is inviting
everyone to come celebrate the life of Lou Etta
Barnett on Saturday,January 22, 2022, Viewing
10 a.m., Service 11 a.m. at Corinthian Baptist
Church, 6705 Good Luck Road, Lanham, MD- Interment Corinthian Garden of Rest,
Washington National Cemetery,4101 Suitland
Rd., Suitland, Maryland 20023. Also streaming
on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/cbccincinnati/live_videos
BARNETTJAMESW. BEARDSLEY (Age 66)
It is with regret that we notify the
members of SteamfittersLocal
602 of the death of BrotherJames
WBeardsley.Serviceswillbeheld
on Thursday, January 20, 2022
at 1p.m. at the Huntt Funeral
Home,3035 OldWashington Road,Waldorf,
MD 20601. Notice #1853.
ChristopherMMadello
F. S.T.BEARDSLEYFREDERICK A. BOESTE (Age 53)
It is with regret that we notify the
members of Steamfitters Local
602 of the death of BrotherFred-
erickABoerste.Private services
will be held by the family.Acele-
bration of life will be held in the
spring.Please check our website for details.
Notice #1852.
ChristopherMMadello
F. S.T.BOESTEJAMES ERIC CHILDS (Age 84)
On Monday,January 10, 2022,
beloved husband of Jacqueline
Childs; father of Kim Childs,Tonya
Sanders,JonathanChilds,Cheryl
Barnes,and Donna Childs-Speight;
brother of John Arthur Childs; and
brother-in-law of William Daye.Also survived
by 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchil-
dren; and many other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be held Thursday,January 20, 10
a.m. until time of funeral service,11a.m., at
Evangel Cathedral, 13901 CentralAve.,Upper
Marlboro,MD20774. Interment private.Ser-
vices by SLOCUM Funeral ServiceP.A., (301)
979-8818.CHILDSWILLIAM H. COLLIER
Billy Collier,Book# 1292612,
passed awayJanuary 3, 2022.
Ironworker5journeyman, Billy
became an IronWorker inFebruary
2003.Aviewing will be heldFriday,
January 21, from6to8p.m. and
aservice will take place onJanuary 22 at
1p.m., at the Covenant Funeral Home in
Fredericksburg,VA.COLLIERHARRYE.DENSEL (Age 87)
It is with regret that we notify the
members of Steamfitters Local
602 of the death of Retired Broth-
er HarryEDensel. Services will
be held on Saturday, January 22,
2022 at1p.m. at the Chapel at
Norbeck MemorialPark, BatchellorsForest
Road and GeorgiaAvenue,Olney,MD20832.
Notice #1851.
ChristopherMMadello
F. S.T.DENSELTONNIE L. DIXON
On January 12, 2022,Tonnie L. Dixon departed
his earthly life.Hewas the devoted father of
Vikki (Dixon) Rheams,KaraA.Dixon,Antoinette
L. Dixon; and grandfather of Shean and Shayla
Rheams.Heissurvived by three brothers,six
sisters,and ahost of relatives and friends.
Viewing will start at 10:30 a.m., Service at
12 noon,January 21, 2022, at Pleasant Grove
Baptist Church in Marbury,MD. His interment
will be at the DixonFamily Cemetery,Halifax,
VA Services provided by Dunn&Sons.DIXONC0979 2x3Beca us ey ourl oved one se rv ed proudly ...Military emblemsare availablewith death noticesand in-memoriamsTo placeanotice call202-334-4122or800-627-1150,ext. 44122DEATH NOTICETONNIE L. DIXON
Officers and members of Social
Lodge No.1,F .& A.M., Prince Hall
Chapter No.5,Order of the Eastern
Star,P.H.A., Nobles and Daughters
of the Desert,Washington, DC are
hereby notified of the death of
BrotherTONNIE L. DIXON,Past
Master (1990) andPast Patron (1993),Honorary
Past Imperial Potentate of the Ancient Egyptian
Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine,Inc.,
MeccaTemple No.10. Viewing at 10:30 to
11:30 a.m., followed by Masonic Services at
11:30 a.m. and church service at 12:00 noon,
January 21, 2022, at Pleasant Grove Baptist
Church in Marbury MD.Assemble at 10 a.m. for
Masonic Services.
Sean Fleming, WM
WM Gloria Jenkins,
WP A. Deon Scott-Robinson
CurtisBanks,Jr.,Ill.P.
J. Dominique Joseph, Sec.,
DorothyD.Kittrell, Sec.,
WilliamQ.Taylor,Rec.DIXONJOE R. DUARTE
On WednesdayJanuary 5, 2022 atWashington
Hospital Center,Joe R. Duarte,devoted father
and cab driver passed. OnWednesday,January
19, 2022. Mass of Christian Catholic Burial at
11 a.m. at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, 3211
Sacred HeartWayNW. Interment Mt. Olivet
Cemetery.Arrangements by BK Henry.DUARTEPHYLLIS GELFAND FELDMAN
Phyllis GelfandFeldman, originally of Balti-
more,Maryland andalong-time resident of
Chevy Chase,Maryland, passed away peace-
fully onJanuary 17, 2022 at the age of 94. She
grew up in Baltimore,Maryland, the youngest
child of Abraham and Elizabeth Gelfand. She is
predeceased by her dear husband, Alexander
Feldman; and her cherished siblings,Ethel
and Jerry.She is survived by her daughter
Aileen Klein and her son-in-law Barry Klein of
Rockville,Maryland and her granddaughter and
her grandson-in-law,Alisa and Alvin Lloyd, of
Newport News,Virginia.
Phyllis was very bright and skipped2grades in
school allowing her to enter Goucher College
forWomen at the age of 16.In her twenties,she
followed her sister and brother-in-law (the late
Ethel and Joseph Danzansky) toWashington,
DC,where she remained until moving to Chevy
Chase Maryland.Formuch of her life,Phyllis
was dedicated to the study of Christian Sci-
ence,and was an active member of the First
Church of Christ, Scientist of Chevy Chase,
Maryland. There,she served multiple terms
and in multiple capacities on the Church’s
Board of Directors.She also gave generously
of her time to the Board of The Carlton Con-
dominiums,where she lived for more than
15 years.She becameareal estate agent in
her later years,which brought her joy,while
the church brought her comfort. Phyllis was
an avid golfer and tennis player,reader,and
armchair politician. Most importantly,she was
deeply loved and she will be missed.
Phyllis lived her last nine years at Brighton
Gardens inFriendship Heights where she was
treated with care and kindness.She loved
going to the theater,out to meals,and going
for long walks.She enjoyed the company of
her fellow residents and the care-givers at
Brighton Gardens and participated inavariety
of activities.She will always be remembered
for her ever-present smile.
Per Phyllis’swishes,noservices will be held. In
lieu of flowers,ifyou wish, donations may be
made to WETA,P.O. Box 96100Washington, DC
20090-6100FELDMANMAXZINE VIVIAN EPPS FRAZIER
Born inWashington, DC onFriday,May 24,
1940, to George Arthur Epps,Sr. and Bernice
Evergreen (Dabney) Epps.She passed away
peacefully on Sunday,December 26, 2021. She
was preceded in death by brothers George,
Langhorn, Donald and Medford Epps; husband,
John H.Frazier;and son, JohnWashington, Jr.
Maxzine leaves to cherish her memory three
daughters,Colleen Pringle,Deborah (Donald)
Parker,and Darlene Johnson; two sons,Leon
(Kettly)WashingtonandMelvinUnderwood;
12 grandchildren, Lawrence (Monika) Pringle,
DemetressValentine,Shinnel Byrd, Dionne
(Peter) Rosché, OrlanziaWashington, Brandon
Washington, Tiffany Johnson, ChristaWashing-
ton,Jazzmen Johnson, Melanie Underwood,
Melvin Underwood, Jr., and Hezekiah Loftland;
12 great grandchildren; one brother,Michael
(April) Epps; four sisters,Gladys Burns,Doris
Jackson, Deborah Johnson, and Cynthia Epps;
18 nieces and nephews; 27 great nephews
and nieces,cousins and dear relatives and
friends.The Memorial isWednesday,January
19, 2022; Visitation from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45
a.m.; Service from 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
at J.B. Jenkins Funeral Home,7474 Landover
Road, Hyattsville,MD20785. Services
streamed live at https://memorials.jbjenkins-
funeralhome.com/maxzine-fra-
zier/4813342/index.php.Interment following
services at Parklawn Memorial Cemetery,
Rockville,MD.FRAZIER