Went On To Be A Teacher, Lead Local Lincoln, NE NAACP

Another of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen has gone west. Paul Adams, who had joined the Army after graduating from South Carolina State University, passed away in Lincoln, NE Sunday at the age of 92.

According to an obituary in the Lincoln Journal Star, Adams participated in nine major campaigns during WWII, and was the recipient of the Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf clusters. The Army transferred Adams to Lincoln in 1962, and he retired a year later.

But he wasn't through breaking racial barriers. Adams became one of the first African American teachers in the Lincoln Public School system, teaching classes in industrial arts and what was likely the first Black History class in the school district's history.

He retired from teaching in 1982, but went on to become president of the Lincoln chapter of the NAACP. He was invited to attend the first inauguration of President Obama.

The paper reports that he was a frequent visitor to Adams Elementary school, which was named in his honor in 2008. Cindy Schwaninger, a former principal at the school, called Adams a "real American hero."

FMI: www.tuskegeeairmen.org