The Jefferson City Civil Pilots

Aviation captivated young men before World War II, regardless of their skin color. But few Black enthusiasts had access, means or opportunity until the Civil Pilot Training program.
Lincoln University of Missouri and the old Jefferson Airfield offered the only program west of the Mississippi River exclusively for Black pilots. Fulfilling the dream of the school's founders, many successful Lincolnites joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first U.S. military aviation units. Wendell Pruitt's aerial acrobatics were legendary, and Wilbur Long was one of twenty-two to survive Nazi POW camps. Clovis Bordeaux went on to be one of the first Black rocket scientists, and Charles Anderson became a pioneer in satellite meteorology. Michelle Brooks explores Lincoln's men and moments in their pursuit of Double Victory.

Michelle Brooks has made a career out of finding the lesser-known stories of the Jefferson City community and its history. For nearly twenty years, she shared those stories as a reporter for the Jefferson City News Tribune . Since 2021, she has compiled stories of the past into five other books: Murder & Mayhem Jefferson City, Hidden History of Jefferson City, Lost Jefferson City, Interesting Women of the Capital City and Buried Jefferson City History . She graduated from Lincoln University of Missouri in 2018 with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree, with emphasis in anthropology and history. Since 2019, she has worked at the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City.