Buford A. Johnson papers
Collection Scope and Contents
This collection contains military documents, correspondence, and other material pertaining to Buford A. Johnson, the Tuskegee Airmen, and events during World War II. Highlights include newspaper clippings, programs, photographs, posters, and awards pertaining to the personal and professional accomplishments of Buford A. Johnson during and after his World War II service.
Dates
- Creation: 1945-2012, undated
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1951-1959
Creator
- Johnson, Buford A. (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
Buford A. Johnson was a Master Sergeant in the United States Army Air Force and chief mechanic who serviced fighter planes in the 99th squadron of the 477th composite group also known as the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. Born August 1927 in Longview, Texas, Buford went on to become the first African-American jet mechanic in the United States Air Force, the first African American Crew Chief to work on jet aircraft, and the first African American Crew Chief to work on jet aircraft in a combat zone.
Extent
2.56 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Abstract
This collection contains military documents, correspondence, and other material pertaining to the Tuskegee Airmen and Buford A. Johnson, a Master Sergeant in the United States Army Air Force and chief mechanic who serviced jet aircraft in the 99th squadron of the 477th composite group in World War II. Highlights include newspaper clippings, programs, photographs, posters, and awards pertaining to the personal and professional accomplishments of Buford A. Johnson during and after his World War II service.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into four series as follows:
- Series 1. Post-military service documents, 1977-2012
- Series 2. Military service documents, 1951-1966
- Series 3. Awards, 1999-2011
- Series 4. Publications, 2001-2011
Acquisition Information
Gifts of Buford A. Johnson, 2007, 2008, 2011, and 2013.
Processing History
Processed by Reajinae Jenkins and Jamie Madrigal, Student Processing Assistants, 2015.
Processing of the Buford A. Johnson papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Bergis Jules, University and Political Papers Archivist, and Eric Milenkiewicz, Manuscripts Curator.
Subject
- Johnson, Buford A. (Person)
- United States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Group, 332nd (Organization)
- United States. Army Air Forces. Fighter Squadron, 99th (Organization)
- Title
- Buford A. Johnson papers
- Status
- Processed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Jamie Madrigal and Reajinae Jenkins, Student Processing Assistants.
- Date
- 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscript Collections Repository
University of California
Rivera Library
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside 92517-5900 USA
specialcollections@ucr.edu