Beloved community member and our own Tuskegee Airman, Herbert T. Thorpe, who passed away January 28, 2024 at the age of 101, was remembered by family, friends and dignitaries on September 7 with the dedication of the 200 block of Church Street in his name; Herbert C. Thorpe Way.
The event was held at the Rome Historical Society with an introduction by Rome NAACP branch president Jacqueline Nelson and a welcome by Rome Historical Board president Jacob Flemming with the Invocation delivered by Pastor Edwina Landry of First Presbyterian Church.
led the assembly in singing Lift Every Voice and Sing then delivered a warm remembrance of Mr. Thorpe. Acknowledgments were also delivered by Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan, Assemblyperson Marianne Buttenschon, County Executive Anthony Picente, Jacqueline Nelson, dear friend, Willie Talmadge and Michael Joseph II Historian and the Claude B. Govan Tri State Chapter Tuskegee Airmen International.
The sign unveiling and dedication took the group to the corner of the Historical Society and returned to the chamber to complete the ceremony which ended with a reception in the lobby of the Historical Society.
From the program: “The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the United States Military. In a time then the US saw racial segregation and discrimination these determined men and women worked hard to serve our country. Today most everyone is aware of these few details; however, there is so much more to the story…Every American owes a debt of gratitude to the American who after the war continued to serve in amazing ways.”
