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an iFranriacn iFnghnnt University of San Francisco VOL. 99 ISSUE TEN FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS Tuskegee Airman Shares History SARAH SLAKEY StaffWriter''' Former Tuskegee Airman Leon "Woodie" Spears endured physical and emotional racial abuse as one of the first black fighter pilots in World War II. "I used to go back to the barracks, cover my head and cry myself to sleep every night," Spears said. "I used to soak that pillow every night. But I put up with it, because if that's what it took to fly, that's what I did." Spears spoke about his experiences as a Tuskegee airman at USF last Thursday in Professor Alberto Huerta's class entitled "Invisible America." The Tuskegee Airmen were the first all African American air corps who, because of racial segregation in the United States, were trained at an isolated camp in Tuskegee, Ala. After their training about 450 black fighter pilots engaged in aerial warfare over Northern Africa, Italy and the rest of Europe during World War II. Spears, was a second lieutenant at the time and was a member of the 332 Fighter group and 301 Fighter Squadron. Although he faced much adversity, Spears reached his goal of flying. "Patriotism was second to me," he said. "My first priority was to fly." Spears' desire allowed him to overcome the racism and beatings he received during his training. "I realized that [the racism] was just done to bring me down mentally," he said. Spears dealt with other forms of prejudice as well. During a mission in the Swiss Alps, he and another Tuskegee pilot located an American plane with engine problems that was being tracked by a German bomber. The plane's crew was unloading cargo to lighten the plane to avoid crashing into the mountains. Spears and the other Tuskegee plane shot down the German bomber and guided the distressed plane back to the Tuskegee camp. Although the two Airmen had just saved the pilots' lives, the pilots refused to leave their plane because they said they'd rather sleep in their plane than congregate with the Tuskegee pilots at the camp. Years later, Spears and other WWII veteran pilots attended an air show in Oakland. While there, Spears happened to meet the same American pilot whom he'd saved in the Swiss Alps. "I was walking along when a man approached me and asked me if I was one of those Tuskegee Airmen, to which I replied 'yes,'" Spears said. "The man then proceeded to tell me this story about how he was flying through the Swiss Alps when his plane experienced engine problems and was being followed by a German Bomber. I then asked him if one of the pilots gave him a thumbs-up, he smiled and said 'yes.' Then I told him, 'that was me' and he came over and embraced me. He said how much that meant to him and how he hadn't forgotten me. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it." Spears also told a story in which segregation actually benefited him. During one of his flights over Berlin in March of 1944, his plane went into a spin and crashed into enemy territory in Poland. "[It] kind of ruined my day," he said. Spears became a prisoner of war in a German camp and was eventually released by the Russian Army and sent to the European countryside to fend for him- TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: PAGE 2 Native American Hero Inspires KIMIKO BARBOUR/FOGHORN Gilbert Blacksmith, a northern-style fancy grass dancer who was honored by KQED as American Indian Local Hero of the Year, sang and danced for a crowd of about 30 USF students and faculty in celebration of Native American Heritage Month on Nov. 7 in Crossroads Cafe. Monica Green, from the Multicultural and International Student Services Center and Ryan Kasmier, Lone Mountain Hall Director, organized the event. Afterwards, Blacksmith led the students in a circle dance that signified friendship. To find but more about future performances contact the Inner Tribal Friendship House in Oakland at (510) 4521-1235. To find out more about Native American Heritage Month events on campus call MCISS at (415) 422-2654 or visit www.usfca.edu/MCISS. NOV 14, 2002 Faulty Elevators Have Expired Permits VICTORIA LEON (HIERRKRO/FOCHORN Sophomore Dinah Macasa notices the expired permit in a Phelan elevator. l^THLEENEMMA StaffWriter Junior Paul Santos and a Friend were stuck in a Gillson Residence Hall elevator for three hours while it moved intermittently between the seventh and eighth floors. Santos, a Gillson resident adviser, said there was a three- inch crack between the jammed doors that he could peep through to see residents pass by. To keep busy, he and his friend sang songs and tried to plan a way out. After some phone calls, Facilities Management employees rescued them. The problem turned out to be a glitch in the operating system that needed fixing, said Everette Ersery, chief engineer of Facilities Management. But this incident was just one of many elevator complications that occurred at the beginning of the semester. Freshman Molly Dugan said USF elevators are nuisances for various reasons, one being faulty doors. "It's ridiculous that when a person gets in the elevator they have to wait five minutes to move just because the door can't decide^ if it wants to open or close," Dugan said. "Then when it does decide, the alarm goes off." Some elevators on-campus have permits with expiration dates as old as July 27, 2001. Ersery said the expired permits are an issue that his office is dealing with. "This predicament is a clerical problem within the State Elevator Inspection Bureau," Ersery said. He and his superi ors have regularly sent letters to the Bureau for more than a year and a half requesting an inspector to come update the safety permits. The answer, Ersery said, is always the same: "There aren't enough inspectors." An inspector was finally dispatched to the University on Oct. 14, but still was not able to update all the permits due to his own time constraints. Instead, he will be issuing a letter stating that the permits only need to be renewed every two years rather than once a year. Ersery said he is not sure this will work, and doubts that someone will come out every two years if they can't find time to come once a year. Ersery said although the elevators are expired, they are routinely checked by Otis Elevators, the second leading elevator maintenance company in the United States. USF has a service contract with Otis and there is always a maintenance person on campus in case anything goes wrong, Ersery said. To keep up with state mandated laws and regulations regarding elevator safety, the maintenance crew also runs tests to make sure the elevators are working properly, which includes testing the ropes every five years. Although a few elevators had minor malfunctions toward the beginning of semester, most problems have been solved and taken care of by maintenance, Ersery said. The doors are now working better, elevators are not getting stuck, and permits should be updated soon. The elevators are perfectly safe, he added. USF Lacks Diverse Faculty SARA.STEELE StaffWriter Although USF has been recognized for its diversity of students, many concerns have been raised about a lack of diversity among full-time faculty at the University. According to the 2001 census, 79 percent of USF's full-time faculty members are white. Although the number of faculty of different races has increased by more than 10 percent since 1991, many students and employees at the University said the lack of faculty diversity needs to be addressed. "I don't think the faculty is diverse," freshman Christine Abellera said. "I have no Asian teachers. All of my teachers are Caucasian. It would be nice to see more culture here, since San Francisco is a diverse city." Some students also pointed out that diversity is not evenly distributed equally across the low and high paying staff positions at USF. "What I have seen is Hispanic cooks and waiters, and Asian cashiers," freshman Stephanie Aparicio said. Some USF faculty members said they have noticed the lack of diversity. "It's a fact that there are much fewer women faculty, a proportionately small faculty of color, and no one talks about faculty of different sexual orientation," said David Kim, a philosophy professor. FACULTY DIVERSITY: PAGE 2 inside Nov 14th news Suspicious fire in Hayes-Healy basment is under investigation by Public Safety. 2 opinion Fairy tales are patri- archial, demeaning and teach children stereotypical gender roles. 3 c&c Culturescape brings food, performances and exhibits from throughout the world to USF. 4 scene Notorious French play "Tartuffe" is a jaw- dropping comedic success. 6 sports Men's basketball is defeated by the more experienced Olympic Club. 8
Object Description
Rating | |
Publication Date | 2002-11-14 |
Volume | 99 |
Issue | 10 |
Newpaper Title | San Francisco Foghorn |
Issue Title | San Francisco Foghorn Volume 99 Issue 10 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Page size (W x L) in inches | 14X22.5 |
Scanner setting -DPI | 300 |
Notable content | Native American Hero Inspires |
Date Scanned | 2014-12-03 |
File Name | index.cpd |
Source | index.cpd |
Language | eng |
tag | foghorn |
Description
Newpaper Title | 2002111409910_01 |
File Name | 2002111409910_01.jpg |
Source | 2002111409910_01.jpg |
Language | eng |
Transcript | an iFranriacn iFnghnnt University of San Francisco VOL. 99 ISSUE TEN FREEDOM AND FAIRNESS Tuskegee Airman Shares History SARAH SLAKEY StaffWriter''' Former Tuskegee Airman Leon "Woodie" Spears endured physical and emotional racial abuse as one of the first black fighter pilots in World War II. "I used to go back to the barracks, cover my head and cry myself to sleep every night," Spears said. "I used to soak that pillow every night. But I put up with it, because if that's what it took to fly, that's what I did." Spears spoke about his experiences as a Tuskegee airman at USF last Thursday in Professor Alberto Huerta's class entitled "Invisible America." The Tuskegee Airmen were the first all African American air corps who, because of racial segregation in the United States, were trained at an isolated camp in Tuskegee, Ala. After their training about 450 black fighter pilots engaged in aerial warfare over Northern Africa, Italy and the rest of Europe during World War II. Spears, was a second lieutenant at the time and was a member of the 332 Fighter group and 301 Fighter Squadron. Although he faced much adversity, Spears reached his goal of flying. "Patriotism was second to me," he said. "My first priority was to fly." Spears' desire allowed him to overcome the racism and beatings he received during his training. "I realized that [the racism] was just done to bring me down mentally," he said. Spears dealt with other forms of prejudice as well. During a mission in the Swiss Alps, he and another Tuskegee pilot located an American plane with engine problems that was being tracked by a German bomber. The plane's crew was unloading cargo to lighten the plane to avoid crashing into the mountains. Spears and the other Tuskegee plane shot down the German bomber and guided the distressed plane back to the Tuskegee camp. Although the two Airmen had just saved the pilots' lives, the pilots refused to leave their plane because they said they'd rather sleep in their plane than congregate with the Tuskegee pilots at the camp. Years later, Spears and other WWII veteran pilots attended an air show in Oakland. While there, Spears happened to meet the same American pilot whom he'd saved in the Swiss Alps. "I was walking along when a man approached me and asked me if I was one of those Tuskegee Airmen, to which I replied 'yes,'" Spears said. "The man then proceeded to tell me this story about how he was flying through the Swiss Alps when his plane experienced engine problems and was being followed by a German Bomber. I then asked him if one of the pilots gave him a thumbs-up, he smiled and said 'yes.' Then I told him, 'that was me' and he came over and embraced me. He said how much that meant to him and how he hadn't forgotten me. It brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it." Spears also told a story in which segregation actually benefited him. During one of his flights over Berlin in March of 1944, his plane went into a spin and crashed into enemy territory in Poland. "[It] kind of ruined my day," he said. Spears became a prisoner of war in a German camp and was eventually released by the Russian Army and sent to the European countryside to fend for him- TUSKEGEE AIRMAN: PAGE 2 Native American Hero Inspires KIMIKO BARBOUR/FOGHORN Gilbert Blacksmith, a northern-style fancy grass dancer who was honored by KQED as American Indian Local Hero of the Year, sang and danced for a crowd of about 30 USF students and faculty in celebration of Native American Heritage Month on Nov. 7 in Crossroads Cafe. Monica Green, from the Multicultural and International Student Services Center and Ryan Kasmier, Lone Mountain Hall Director, organized the event. Afterwards, Blacksmith led the students in a circle dance that signified friendship. To find but more about future performances contact the Inner Tribal Friendship House in Oakland at (510) 4521-1235. To find out more about Native American Heritage Month events on campus call MCISS at (415) 422-2654 or visit www.usfca.edu/MCISS. NOV 14, 2002 Faulty Elevators Have Expired Permits VICTORIA LEON (HIERRKRO/FOCHORN Sophomore Dinah Macasa notices the expired permit in a Phelan elevator. l^THLEENEMMA StaffWriter Junior Paul Santos and a Friend were stuck in a Gillson Residence Hall elevator for three hours while it moved intermittently between the seventh and eighth floors. Santos, a Gillson resident adviser, said there was a three- inch crack between the jammed doors that he could peep through to see residents pass by. To keep busy, he and his friend sang songs and tried to plan a way out. After some phone calls, Facilities Management employees rescued them. The problem turned out to be a glitch in the operating system that needed fixing, said Everette Ersery, chief engineer of Facilities Management. But this incident was just one of many elevator complications that occurred at the beginning of the semester. Freshman Molly Dugan said USF elevators are nuisances for various reasons, one being faulty doors. "It's ridiculous that when a person gets in the elevator they have to wait five minutes to move just because the door can't decide^ if it wants to open or close," Dugan said. "Then when it does decide, the alarm goes off." Some elevators on-campus have permits with expiration dates as old as July 27, 2001. Ersery said the expired permits are an issue that his office is dealing with. "This predicament is a clerical problem within the State Elevator Inspection Bureau," Ersery said. He and his superi ors have regularly sent letters to the Bureau for more than a year and a half requesting an inspector to come update the safety permits. The answer, Ersery said, is always the same: "There aren't enough inspectors." An inspector was finally dispatched to the University on Oct. 14, but still was not able to update all the permits due to his own time constraints. Instead, he will be issuing a letter stating that the permits only need to be renewed every two years rather than once a year. Ersery said he is not sure this will work, and doubts that someone will come out every two years if they can't find time to come once a year. Ersery said although the elevators are expired, they are routinely checked by Otis Elevators, the second leading elevator maintenance company in the United States. USF has a service contract with Otis and there is always a maintenance person on campus in case anything goes wrong, Ersery said. To keep up with state mandated laws and regulations regarding elevator safety, the maintenance crew also runs tests to make sure the elevators are working properly, which includes testing the ropes every five years. Although a few elevators had minor malfunctions toward the beginning of semester, most problems have been solved and taken care of by maintenance, Ersery said. The doors are now working better, elevators are not getting stuck, and permits should be updated soon. The elevators are perfectly safe, he added. USF Lacks Diverse Faculty SARA.STEELE StaffWriter Although USF has been recognized for its diversity of students, many concerns have been raised about a lack of diversity among full-time faculty at the University. According to the 2001 census, 79 percent of USF's full-time faculty members are white. Although the number of faculty of different races has increased by more than 10 percent since 1991, many students and employees at the University said the lack of faculty diversity needs to be addressed. "I don't think the faculty is diverse," freshman Christine Abellera said. "I have no Asian teachers. All of my teachers are Caucasian. It would be nice to see more culture here, since San Francisco is a diverse city." Some students also pointed out that diversity is not evenly distributed equally across the low and high paying staff positions at USF. "What I have seen is Hispanic cooks and waiters, and Asian cashiers," freshman Stephanie Aparicio said. Some USF faculty members said they have noticed the lack of diversity. "It's a fact that there are much fewer women faculty, a proportionately small faculty of color, and no one talks about faculty of different sexual orientation," said David Kim, a philosophy professor. FACULTY DIVERSITY: PAGE 2 inside Nov 14th news Suspicious fire in Hayes-Healy basment is under investigation by Public Safety. 2 opinion Fairy tales are patri- archial, demeaning and teach children stereotypical gender roles. 3 c&c Culturescape brings food, performances and exhibits from throughout the world to USF. 4 scene Notorious French play "Tartuffe" is a jaw- dropping comedic success. 6 sports Men's basketball is defeated by the more experienced Olympic Club. 8 |
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