Description: Photograph of C. Walder Parke and an unidentified B-17 pilot in the 94th Bombardment Group. The 94th was a subdivision of the 4th Combat Wing of the famous Eighth Air Force, which conducted many of the missions over France and Germany during WWII. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F02_012
Subjects: Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996; Fighter pilots; United States Air Force; Military uniforms; Air pilots; United States. Army Air Forces. Bomb Group (H), 94th
 

Description: Photograph of C. Walder Parke and fellow navigator Paul B. Goscewski. Goscewski was stationed in Matching, England with the 391st Bombardment Group. Matching is located in Essex County, and Parke was stationed in Rougham, a town in the county just south of Essex. The 391st arrived in England in January of 1944 and stayed until September. The two men would have been in England at the same time and could have met there. This photograph was taken in the U.S., since Parke had permanently returned from England in 1944. During the month of April 1945, Parke completed a course at Ellington Field in Texas, and then returned to Lockbourne Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio. Victory in Europe Day was declared less than a month later on May 8th, 1945. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F02_015
Subjects: Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996; United States Air Force; Military uniforms; Air pilots; United States. Air Force. Bombardment Group, 391st (1944-1945)
Places: England; Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of C. Walder Parke and an unidentified Army Air Forces member. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F02_007
Subjects: Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996; United States Air Force; Military uniforms; Air pilots
 

Description: Illustrated portraits of Tuskegee Airmen from Central Ohio. The portraits are signed by the pilots. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in the armed forces of the United States. The squadron was formed in 1941 and based in Tuskegee, Alabama. ALTERNATE TEXT: Artwork of nine African American men who were part of the Tuskegee Airmen. The image includes two airplanes; the right airplane has a red nose and tail. Beneath the red plane is a distant field of grass and trees with a road going through them. There is also a pilot in the cockpit. Top left corner: Herndon 'Don' Cummings- He wears goggles on the top of his head and a collared shirt. He has a smile on his face. Top middle: Alex Boudreaux- He wears a helmet with goggles on his forehead. He has a jacket on along with a collared shirt and tie. Second row, left: Walter McCreary- He wears an officer's hat with a United States eagle seal. He also wears a collared shirt with pins on the lapels. Second row, second to left: Walter Kyle- He wears a dark officer's hat with a United States eagle seal, and a collared shirt. He also has a small moustache. Second row, middle: Walter Davidson- He wears a hat with a collard shirt and a tie. Second row, second from right: Harold Sawyer- He wears an officer's hat with a United States eagle seal. He also wears a collared shirt with a tie. Second row, right: Harold Brown- He wears a collared shirt with pins on the lapels. Bottom row, left: Charles 'C.I.' Williams- He wears a hat with a pin on it. He also has on a collared shirt with a tie. Bottom row, right: William Watkins- He wears a dark officer's hat with a United States eagle seal, and a collared shirt. His suit jacket has a patch on his left side, which has wings above a star and the number 1 above the wings. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_OVS19
Subjects: African American soldiers; African American men; African American Ohioans; Air pilots; Airplanes; Tuskegee Airmen; United States. Air Force.; World War II
Places: Ohio; Tuskegee (Alabama)
 

Description: Photograph of C. Walder Parke and an Army Air Forces member identified in handwriting as Earl Miller. Other photographs of Earl P. Miller, a pilot in the 94th Bombardment Group to which Parke belonged, do not support this identification. The person in this photograph with Parke remains unknown. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F02_010
Subjects: Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996; United States Air Force; Military uniforms; Air pilots
 

Description: Harry C. Pepon at Childress Air Force Base in Texas on the day that he received his bombardier wings, July 22, 1944. Pepon was born in Hilliard, Ohio, and served as a bombardier on a B-17 crew stationed in Italy during World War II. His plane was hit by enemy fire on its first mission to bomb a German refinery. The plane went missing and the crew was presumed dead. After the war, debris from the plane was found in Yugoslavia. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07527
Subjects: Soldiers--Ohio; Ohio History--Military Ohio; World War, 1939-1945 - Ohio; Air pilots; Aircraft
Places: Childress Air Force Base (Texas)
 

Description: Illustration of the 302nd squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen 332nd fighter group, Spit Fire, by A. Ric Druet. This print is autographed by A. Ric Druet and several Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in the armed forces of the United States. The squadron was formed in 1941 and based in Tuskegee, Alabama. Print 33 of 1500 ALTERNATE TEXT: Three airplanes sit on a runway at a military base. There is one plane in the air, which is blue with large clouds. The planes all have red noses and tails, with silver bodies. The closest plane is the "Ina the Macon Belle", and it has a pilot inside and a mechanic on the wing. The second plane, "Alice-Jo", also has a pilot in the cockpit and mechanic on the wing. The last plane grounded is "Lucifer" and has the mechanic on the ground and a mechanic looking at the nose. Three men stand to the left next to a Jeep-like Humvee vehicle, marked 219321. Two men are further to the left with the furthest man in a brown leather jacket. Another Humvee sits further up the runway, in front of the last plane. A tent is behind that Humvee. The bottom of the image has signatures with an image of a red flying devil wielding a pitch fork. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS_6_B11F2_01
Subjects: African American soldiers; African American men; African American Ohioans; Air pilots; Airplanes; Tuskegee Airmen; United States. Air Force.; World War II
 

Description: Illustration of the 301st squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen 332nd fighter group, Spit Fire, by A. Ric Druet. This print is autographed by A. Ric Druet and several Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in the armed forces of the United States. The squadron was formed in 1941 and based in Tuskegee, Alabama. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS_6_B11F3_01
Subjects: African American soldiers; African American men; African American Ohioans; Air pilots; Airplanes; Tuskegee Airmen; United States. Air Force.; World War II
 

Description: Illustration of the 99th squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen 332nd fighter group, Spit Fire, by A. Ric Druet. This print is autographed by A. Ric Druet and several Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in the armed forces of the United States. The squadron was formed in 1941 and based in Tuskegee, Alabama. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS_6_B11F4_01
Subjects: African American soldiers; African American men; African American Ohioans; Air pilots; Airplanes; Tuskegee Airmen; United States. Air Force.; World War II
 

Description: Illustration of the 100th squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen 332nd Fighter Group, Spit Fire, by A. Ric Druet. This print is autographed by A. Ric Druet and several Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American pilots in the armed forces of the United States. The squadron was formed in 1941 and based in Tuskegee, Alabama. ALTERNATE TEXT: Various styles of planes fly through the sky from the left side of the colorful scene. Each plane has a trail of white smoke behind it. One German plane, number 8, towards the middle right of the scene appears to have been shot and is falling out of the sky, with black smoke coming out of the right engine. The closest plane reads 569 with a number 7 on the right flank. Under the title and artist, there is a logo with a large brown cougar-like cat, with wings. The cat has its front paws on a globe showing North America. The cat is in a round yellow sunburst, inside of a blue ring, white ring, and lastly a red ring. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: NAM_MSS_6_B11F5_01
Subjects: African American soldiers; African American Ohioans; Air pilots; Airplanes; Tuskegee Airmen; United States. Air Force.; World War II
 

Description: Photograph of C. Walder Parke sitting with his wife, Eileen Czerny Parke. The two were married June 19, 1943. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F03_005
Subjects: Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996; Portrait photography; Soldiers--Family relationships; United States Air Force; Military uniforms; Air pilots
 

Description: Photograph of C. Walder Parke in uniform. The photographer, Clifford Norton, started his own very influential portrait studio in Cleveland during the early 20th century, and was thriving at the time this picture was taken. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F01_014
Subjects: Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996; Portrait photography; United States Air Force; Military uniforms; Air pilots
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)