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Cecil Peterson collection on the Tuskegee Airmen
MS 100
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Title: Cecil Peterson collection on the Tuskegee Airmen
Date (inclusive): 1916-2003, undated
Date (bulk): 1940-1952
Collection Number: MS 100
Creator:
Peterson, Cecil
Extent:
40.77 linear feet
(47 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Riverside, CA 92517-5900
Abstract: The Cecil Peterson collection on the
Tuskegee Airmen is contained within the Tuskegee Airmen Archive. This archive consists of
material related to those individuals who served at Tuskegee Army Air Field, and its
predecessors, as well as material pertaining to Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., a non-profit
organization.
This collection consists largely of research material collected by Cecil Peterson on the Tuskegee Airmen and the units with which they were affiliated. Material relating to Peterson's personal life is present, and to a lesser extent there is material regarding African Americans and Military History. Peterson compiled an extensive collection of material on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots in the United States Army Air Corps. Information on personnel and military units associated with the training at Tuskegee Army Air Field and its predecessor training sites, race relations within the military, the Freeman Field Mutiny, the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and Peterson's personal and professional life are also included.
This collection consists largely of research material collected by Cecil Peterson on the Tuskegee Airmen and the units with which they were affiliated. Material relating to Peterson's personal life is present, and to a lesser extent there is material regarding African Americans and Military History. Peterson compiled an extensive collection of material on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots in the United States Army Air Corps. Information on personnel and military units associated with the training at Tuskegee Army Air Field and its predecessor training sites, race relations within the military, the Freeman Field Mutiny, the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and Peterson's personal and professional life are also included.
Languages: The collection is in English.
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be
protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction,
and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements,
donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark
rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed
by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other
restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights
holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests
exclusively with the user.
[identification of item], [date if possible]. Cecil Peterson collection on the Tuskegee
Airmen (MS 100). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California,
Riverside.
The Cecil Peterson collection on the Tuskegee Airmen was acquired as a gift in 2006.
Processed by Chuck Wilson, University Archivist, 2010-2012.
Cecil Peterson was orphaned at an early age and spent much of his boyhood in foster homes
and institutions. His military experience included time as an enlisted man at Tuskegee Army
Flying School in 1942 and 1943. He was in training and a part of base personnel before being
shipped out for service on Guadalcanal. He re-entered the Army after World War II, was
commissioned a Lieutenant and served in Korea.
During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt requested the administrator of one of the
institutions at which Cecil Peterson had resided to provide the name of someone in the
service with whom she could correspond. This was the beginning of a long term relationship
with the Roosevelt family.
After the war he completed his college work and had a career as a teacher. Peterson was
active in local Los Angeles politics, notably Tom Bradley's initial election to the Los
Angeles City Council. He served on the Los Angeles County Commission on Obscenity and
Pornography and as a member of the California State Senior Legislature.
The Cecil Peterson collection on the Tuskegee Airmen is contained within the Tuskegee
Airmen Archive. This archive consists of material related to those individuals who served at
Tuskegee Army Air Field, and its predecessors, as well as material pertaining to Tuskegee
Airmen, Inc., a non-profit organization.This collection consists largely of research
material collected by Cecil Peterson on the Tuskegee Airmen and the units with which they
were affiliated. Material relating to Peterson's personal life is present, and to a lesser
extent there is material regarding African Americans and Military History. Peterson compiled
an extensive collection of material on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American
pilots in the United States Army Air Corps. Information on personnel and military units
associated with the training at Tuskegee Army Air Field and its predecessor training sites,
race relations within the military, the Freeman Field Mutiny, the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and
Peterson's personal and professional life are also included.
This collection is arranged into 7 series as follows:
- Series 1. Personnel, 1939-1994, undated
- Series 2. Freeman Field mutiny, 1945, undated
- Series 3. Non-Military organizational records, 1973-1992, undated
- Series 4. Military history, 1943-1999, undated
- Series 5. African American history, 1916-1992, undated
- Series 6. Tuskegee Airmen related activities, 1941-1998, undated
- Series 7. Personal papers of Cecil Peterson, 1935-2003, undated
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
United
States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Group, 332nd
United
States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Squadron, 99th
African American fighter pilots
Freeman Field Mutiny, Ind., 1945
Moton Field
Tuskegee Army Air Field (Ala.)
Tuskegee Army Flying School (Tuskegee, Ala.)
World War, 1939-1945
Clippings
(information artifacts)
Correspondence
Publications
Reports
Rosters