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Simmons (13Th), Turner, Jones, Jordan, Jackson (11Th), Jackson (32Nd), Dawkins, Frazier, Simmons (12Th), Burton, Fillingane MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2013 By: Senator(s) Horhn, Butler (38th), Butler To: Rules (36th), Simmons (13th), Turner, Jones, Jordan, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Dawkins, Frazier, Simmons (12th), Burton, Fillingane SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 573 1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING MISSISSIPPI AUTHOR THOMAS 2 E. SIMMONS AND THE LEGACY OF COLONEL JOHN CHARLES ROBINSON OF 3 GULFPORT, MISSISSIPPI, WHO IS THE SUBJECT OF HIS BOOK THE MAN 4 CALLED BROWN CONDOR: THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN 5 FIGHTER PILOT. 6 WHEREAS, THE MAN CALLED BROWN CONDOR: THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY 7 OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN FIGHTER PILOT is an unlikely story about a 8 Mississippi aviator, told well by Author Thomas E. Simmons, who 9 researched his subject for 3 decades, and now he has put it all 10 together in a narrative that reads like a novel; and 11 WHEREAS, John Charles Robinson was born in 1903 in Florida 12 and grew up in a very segregated South. His father died in an 13 accident shortly after he was born. His mother moved with him and 14 his sister to Gulfport, Mississippi. In 1910, when John was 7, he 15 saw his first aircraft, a float plane that taxied to the beach. 16 John Robinson knew that he wanted one day to fly an airplane, and 17 he set out to overcome the obstacle of segregation. He did this 18 by learning to excel at school and later at work, to never let 19 disappointments overcome his determination and to wear his S. C. R. No. 573 *SS02/R1069* ~ OFFICIAL ~ N1/2 13/SS02/R1069 PAGE 1 (crl\tb) 20 successes with modesty. A loving family buttressed his good 21 nature and self-confidence; and 22 WHEREAS, for college, he enrolled in the Tuskegee Institute 23 and learned to become an automobile mechanic. He decided there 24 would be better job opportunities in the North, so he moved to 25 Detroit. He earned a reputation as an exceptionally good 26 mechanic. Moving to Chicago, he wanted to enroll in the 27 Curtiss-Wright Aviation School, but black students were not 28 welcome. Although he had a full-time job in an auto garage, he 29 signed on as a nighttime janitor in a Curtiss-Wright classroom, 30 absorbing the instructor's ground-school lectures. The instructor 31 realized how determined John was and persuaded the school to let 32 him enroll; and 33 WHEREAS, John went on to form a small flying school, 34 encouraging young black men to enroll. This fact came to the 35 attention of Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, who was working 36 to modernize his country. He invited Robinson to come to Africa 37 to head his Air Force. Much of the book is devoted to this 38 personal adventure. As the threat of an invasion by Mussolini's 39 Fascist Italy grew, Robinson built a cadre of black pilots and 40 ground crews. Unarmed, the small fleet of airplanes could perform 41 one essential task in a country with primitive lines of 42 communication: ferry messages back and forth between the front 43 lines and the Emperor's general staff in the Capital, Addis Ababa. 44 The author gives us a "you-are-there" feeling as Robinson and his S. C. R. No. 573 *SS02/R1069* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 13/SS02/R1069 PAGE 2 (crl\tb) 45 pilots navigate the difficult terrain of Ethiopia, dive into 46 clouds to elude Italian pursuit aircraft, and take off and land 47 under hazardous conditions. Then-Colonel Robinson also witnessed 48 Italian aircraft spraying mustard gas on thousands of Ethiopian 49 ground troops; and 50 WHEREAS, word of Robinson's exploits came back to America, 51 first to black communities and newspapers, then to the general 52 press. His dream of making it possible for many young black men 53 to become flyers came true. Briefly, he was nationally famous. 54 Ultimately, the Italians conquered Ethiopia, but only temporarily. 55 Selassie escaped to England and John Robinson to America. Back 56 home, his aviation school thrived. Tuskegee, to which had he 57 proposed an aircraft school in the 1930s, finally had one and 58 turned out hundreds of the famous Tuskegee Airmen, who gained fame 59 in World War II; and 60 WHEREAS, after the war, Selassie invited Robinson back to 61 Ethiopia, first to rebuild his Air Force, then to create Ethiopian 62 Airlines. As with everything else this remarkable man did in his 63 short life (he died at age 51), he performed these jobs with 64 determination and thoroughness. His lifelong triumph over 65 adversity belongs to the greatest of American success stories; and 66 WHEREAS, Thomas E. Simmons is the author of four books to 67 date: The Brown Condor, Escape from Archangel, Forgotten Heroes 68 of World War II and his latest, The Man Called Brown Condor. He 69 grew up in Mississippi, attended Marion Military Institute, the S. C. R. No. 573 *SS02/R1069* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 13/SS02/R1069 PAGE 3 (crl\tb) 70 U.S. Naval Academy, the University of Southern Mississippi and the 71 University of Alabama. He served as commercial Captain of a 72 70-foot sailing vessel, has been a pilot since the age of 16, has 73 flown professionally, and participated in airshows flying 74 aerobatics in open-cockpit biplanes. In 1960, he served as an 75 Artillery Officer in Korea. He has traveled the world; and 76 WHEREAS, thanks to the United States and brave pilots like 77 Colonel Robinson, colonialism was defeated in Ethiopia; and it is 78 with great pride that we bring attention to this Mississippi 79 Author and the subject of his excellent book: 80 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF 81 MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That 82 we do hereby recognize Mississippi Author Thomas E. Simmons and 83 the legacy of Colonel John Charles Robinson of Gulfport, 84 Mississippi, who is the subject of his book The Man Called Brown 85 Condor: The Forgotten History of an African American Fighter 86 Pilot, and extend our best wishes to Mr. Simmons for his 87 continuing literary contributions. 88 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to 89 Thomas Simmons, forwarded to the Mississippi Arts Commission, and 90 be made available to the Capitol Press Corps. S. C. R. No. 573 *SS02/R1069* ~ OFFICIAL ~ 13/SS02/R1069 ST: Recognize Mississippi Author Thomas E. PAGE 4 (crl\tb) Simmons and his book about African-American Fighter Pilot John Charles Robinson. .
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