William B. Ellis papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-347

Staff Only

Collection Scope and Contents

The William B. Ellis papers consist 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 is comprised of both print and visual materials including documents, photographs, correspondence, books, newspaper clippings, audiovisual material, and realia. The bulk of materials within this collection relate to the military service and history of the Tuskegee Airmen, as well as to activities of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. at both the local (Los Angeles chapter) and national level. Additional items regarding Ellis’s personal life, aviation and aerospace history, and African American history are also included.

Dates

Creation: 1942-2009, undated
Creation: Majority of material found within 1975-2005

Creator

Ellis, William B. (Person)

Languages

The collection is in English.

Access

This collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

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.

Biographical Note

William B. Ellis was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1916. His family moved to Ohio in 1923, then to Washington, DC where Ellis graduated from Armstrong Technical High School in 1935. Ellis continued his education at Miner Teachers College (Wash., DC), where he was certified to teach at the Junior High School level, then at Robert H. Terrell law school, where he studied contracts and property law. When the United States became embroiled in the Second World War, Ellis enlisted in the US Army Signal Corps at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, where he graduated as a Lieutenant in 1942. He went on to train as a fighter pilot at Tuskegee Airfield Flying School in 1943, then as a bomber pilot at Mather Field in California in 1944. After leaving the Army Force in 1948, Ellis acquired a BS in business administration from American University in 1953. Following a move to Los Angeles, Ellis worked as an assessor for Los Angeles County from the mid-1960s until his retirement in 1992. Ellis was active in educational and other activities with Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. until his death in 2009.

Extent

23.40 Linear Feet (18 boxes, 4 flat file folders)

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection is comprised of both print and visual materials from Tuskegee Airman William B. Ellis, including documents, photographs, correspondence, books, newspaper clippings, audiovisual material, and realia. The bulk of materials within this collection relate to the military service and history of the Tuskegee Airmen, as well as to activities of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. at both the local (Los Angeles chapter) and national level. Additional items regarding Ellis’s personal life, aviation and aerospace history, and African American history are also included.