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THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME
From Central School
to the Tuskegee Airmen.
A LIFE ROOTED IN GLEN ROCK
A student. An athlete.
A singer. A young man
with a future.
Thomas L. Hawkins grew up in Glen Rock and attended Central Elementary School before graduating from Ridgewood High School in 1942.
He played football, ran track, and sang in the Glee Club, the A Cappella Choir, and the junior choir at Mt. Bethel Baptist Church.
He went on to study at Temple University. In 1943, he put those plans on hold to serve his country.
COURAGE IN THE FACE OF SEGREGATION
Serving his country.
Challenging barriers.
Hawkins trained as a Tuskegee Airman and served with the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group.
The Tuskegee Airmen served in a segregated military. Their achievements challenged racist assumptions about who could fly and lead in combat.
Hawkins flew 28 missions. He died in a plane crash in Italy on March 7, 1945, at just 21 years old.
