TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE O THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
By Aaron Williams Granville C. Coggs, M.D. 1925–2019 Physician, Tuskegee Airmen, Professor, Author, U.S. Army Air Corps O ne of the last surviv- ing Tuskegee Airmen. Brother Granville C. Coggs (Eta 1948) in 1942. In 1943 as a freshman at Howard University, Coggs discovered he likely would be drafted into the United States Army as an infantry- man. Instead, Coggs enlisted in the U.S. Army Aviation Cadet Program, wings in October 1945, but he never flew in combat due to the ending of the World War II which occurred in August 1945. Coggs remained in the U.S. Air Force Reserves until 1985.
entered the Chapter Invisible on May 7, 2019 at the age of 93. During the World War II 1940s, Coggs was part of wave of young African American males who left college to join the nation’s war ef- fort; returned to school and then subsequently joined the fraternity. In addition to his membership in the famed Tuskegee Airmen, Coggs was accomplished radiolo- gist, author, and professor. His daughter Anita on her father, “What I learned from watching him was the pursuit of excellence, the importance of achievement.” Granville Coleridge Coggs was born in Pine Bluff, AR on July 30, 1925 to Tandy Washington Coggs and Nannie Hinkle Coggs. He was the youngest of five children and grandson of slaves. His father served as the fifth president of Ar- kansas Baptist College from 1937 to 1955. He graduated from Little Rock, AR’s Dunbar High School
subsequently qualifying to serve in the then-segregated U.S. Army Air Corps. He trained at Tuskegee Institute (now University) where he joined the famed Tuskegee Airmen. He earned badges as an aerial gun- ner; bombardier and multi-engine pilot. In a 2012 Nebraska Magazine article, Coggs recalled about the significance of being a Tuskegee Air- man, "For Black people all over the South back then, such an accom- plishment seemed almost unthink- able. But there I was, headed toward the clouds and feeling very proud of myself because I knew I was proving what so many Black people had been saying for so many years in this coun- try: 'If you'll just give us a chance, we can meet every challenge that comes our way — and we will succeed.'" In January 1945, Granville earned his commission as an officer, Lieutenant second class. Coggs earned his pilot
After the war, Coggs, using the G.I. Bill, resumed his college education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, NE where he earned a B.S. degree in 1949. His scholastic average of 91 percent was the highest ever achieved by a "Negro" student at University of Nebraska and this achievement placed Coggs on the upper three percent of his senior class. He was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Scholastic Society, Sigma Xi Honorary Sci- ence Society, Phi Lambda Upsilon Honorary Chemistry Society and Theta Nu Honorary Pre-Medical Fraternity. He attended Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA earning his doctorate's degree in 1953. After graduating from medical school, Dr. Coggs returned to the Air Force as a Medical Intern. In
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Publishing achievement for 105 years
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