University Calendar

Presented by the son of one of the Tuskegee Airmen, this will be a comprehensive treatment of the “Tuskegee Experiment.” Journey from the tireless pre-war work of civil rights advocates, through the airmen’s adventures and misadventures in the face of omnipresent obstacles of segregation, racism and rejection, to their considerable impact on post-war America and the civil rights movement. The presentation will take you into the hearts and minds of the airmen themselves – who they were, where they came from, what they wanted, and what drove them to succeed.

Presenter: Captain Weyman Watson, US Navy (Retired)

After growing up in the sunlight of the Tuskegee Airmen, Weyman Watson followed the footsteps of his father and older brothers into the military. Commissioned as a Navy Ensign in 1980, he went on to a thirty year active and reserve career in Naval Aviation and Intelligence, participating is some of the most important events of the Cold War, Middle Eastern and post 9/11 conflicts. He has over 1600 flying hours as a Tactical Coordinator, Weapons Systems Officer, Navigator and Electronic Warfare Officer in U.S. and NATO aircraft, including the P-3, RAF Nimrod, H-60, B-52, C-12 and UH-1, executing or controlling multi-national military and humanitarian operations in the Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, Latin American and Mediterranean Theaters. He retired from the Navy Reserve with the rank of Captain. He is more than proud to be the son of Lieutenant Colonel Spann Watson, one of the original pilots of the famed 99^th Fighter Squadron, the very first unit of the group now known as “The Tuskegee Airmen”.

Champion of Change Award

Dr Sandra Y. Lewis, professor at Montclair State University, will posthumously honor Lt. Col. Spann Watson with the "Champion of Challenge & Change" award. This award honors ordinary people who have created extraordinary and positive change in our communities.

Learn more and register at montclair.edu/online/extended-education.