Heits on the Road: Sweet Home Alabama

Our stay in New Mexico was terrific, but we then headed back to Florida to see my mom. Mom was living in independent living and in fact, stayed that way until three months before her passing this February at the age of 97. She was a strong, independent little woman until the end.

Driving through New Mexico, we pulled over in a little town called Cuervo just to check the car. The town itself isn't a ghost town, but this little section was.

I felt like I was in an old TV western.

Moving east, our only stop was in Montgomery, AL. I had been to Birmingham before and it is a pretty sophisticated city, but had never been to the state capital. We had started visiting state capitol buildings and wanted to add this one to our visit. By the way, we have now visited 18 capitol buildings. It was a strange feeling to be in Alabama at that time as it was during the senatorial race involving Roy Moore. The signs and rhetoric was pretty uncomfortable for bleeding heart liberals. But, off we went to the capitol.

The present capitol dates to 1850-1851 and replaced the original building that had burned. The building is Greek Revival and was seen twice on the international news scene. The Confederate States was born in the senate chamber where delegates from the Southern States voted to establish their own country. And, in 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King led the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March that ended on the street in front of the capitol building. To be honest, driving from Selma to Montgomery was pretty sad. It didn't look like much had changed since 1965. Every little town was boarded up with no commercial businesses and tons of people just sitting on their front porches. The Alabama legislature and supreme court no longer meet in the building so it has become a national landmark and museum. I know it might seem strange, but after the tour and movie and so forth, it just felt like everything had stopped at the Civil War. There was very little discussed about the 20th century. Although pretty, this capitol left us cold.

Okay, so my favorite part was lunch (big surprise). How could we not go to Chris' Hot Dogs. A 100 year old institution that had some of the best hot dogs we have had.

If you find yourself in Montgomery, make sure you stop. It is a gem and a bargain!

Our visit didn't stop at the capitol. We drove out to Tuskegee to visit the Tuskegee Institute (University) and and the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site.

The University was originally established in 1881 by the Alabama State Legislature as Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers. Booker T., Washington met with his first class of only 30 men and women essentially in a shed. Washington had been born a slave but still helped build a world famous institution. Students produced the bricks and then the labor to build most of the early buildings including "The Oaks" that served as Washington's family residence. He recruited academics that in addition to traditional education, could provide training in carpentry, brick laying, printing and many other trades. Farming, however, was where the early direction went. George Washington Carver joined the faculty and most people are familiar with his accomplishments. There is now a George Washington Carver museum on campus operated by the National Park Service.

If you are interested, here are the points of distinction for Tuskegee University

Number one producer of African-American aerospace science engineers in the nation.
A leading producer in the country of African-American engineering graduates in chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering.
The top producer of African-American Ph.D. holders in Materials Science and Engineering in the U.S.
Produced more African-American general officers in the military than any other institution, including the service academies.
The largest producer of African-Americans with baccalaureate degrees in Math, Science and Engineering in Alabama.
The only historically black college or university (HBCU) with a fully accredited College of Veterinary Medicine that offers the Doctoral Degree, and produces over 75% of the African-American veterinarians in the world.
The only historically black college or university (HBCU) in the nation designated as the location for National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care.
The first nursing baccalaureate program in Alabama and one of the oldest in the United States.
Originator and producer of the famous "Tuskegee Airmen," in partnership with the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Producer of the first African-American four-star general: General Daniel "Chappie" James.
The producer of the first African-American winner of the National Book Award, Ralph Ellison for his book, Invisible Man.
The only college or university campus in the nation to be designated a National Historic Site by the U.S. Congress.
A center for Plant Biotechnology Research which is training U.S. Scientists and students as well as scientists from Ghana, China, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Egypt, and Tanzania to continue work of Dr. George Washington Carver in today's cutting edge science and technology.
One of two centers funded by NASA to develop a technology for growing food in space during human space missions.
The only historically black college or university, and one of only 11 universities in the world funded and authorized by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish and operate a Kellogg Conference Center, which is the technologically sophisticated hub of Continuing Education and Hospitality/Tourism Management Training.
The offspring of two American giants, Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver.
The only historically black college or university to maintain academic excellence while supporting a football program exceeding a 611-win career record and many conference titles including 4 consecutive SIAC Conference Football Championships.

I don't usually cut and paste, but that is a pretty impressive list.

Here are photos of the Oaks, Booker T Washington's residence, built by students from bricks made by students.

The university-

The George Washington Carver museum-

Our trip to Alabama was completed with a visit to Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. Located at Moton Field, this memorial to the first black military pilots was part of Tuskegee's Civilian Pilot Training program. There were no black pilots in the military until 1941. The selective training and service act of 1940 prohibited discrimination in training for military service. This act and pressure from the press, civil rights organizations, and Eleanor Roosevelt led to the formation of the 99th Pursuit Squadron. This was an all black, segregated squadron. Remember it wasn't until 1948 that Harry Truman integrated the military. Fighting not only the enemy but racial hatred and discrimination, the first class of pilots graduated and were given wings and commissions as officers. Many followed and by the end of the war, 994 pilots had been trained. The squadron was sent to North Africa and began flying missions of primarily bomber support. 66 pilots died during the war, but Tuskegee airmen, known as "The Red Tail Angels" never lost a bomber in 180 missions. Despite this incredible record, discrimination continued after the war as there were separate officer's clubs for white and blacks. Watching the introductory movie brought tears to your eyes.

The site contains two hangers with truly exceptional exhibits, interactive displays and more.