Obituaries

Milton Pitts Crenchaw Sr.

Photo of Milton  Pitts Crenchaw Sr.
MILTON PITTS CRENCHAW SR., 96, was born on Jan. 13, 1919 in Little Rock, Ark. to the late civil rights leader and tailor Reverend Joseph C. Crenchaw and Ethel Pitts Crenchaw. He was the third of four children born to this union. He married Ruby Hockenhull on Dec. 22, 1942; to this union four children were born. His wife and oldest son, Milton P. Crenshaw Jr., preceded him in death. At an early age he accepted Christ as his personal savior at Christ Temple Cathedral Church in Little Rock. He devoted the rest of his life in service to the Lord, serving faithfully in various church ministries. In 1937, Mr. Crenchaw graduated from Dunbar High School and later earned his teaching certificate in Automotive Mechanics from Dunbar Junior College. He was one of the first African Americans in the country and the first from Arkansas to be successfully trained by the Federal Government as a civilian licensed pilot. He arrived at Tuskegee Institute in 1939 and enrolled in the school's first Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) class. On Dec. 7, 1941 with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, his life changed. He was removed from training and given the task of immediately training black pilots for war. A year later, he was named one of the primary flight instructors at Tuskegee Institute. After the war's end, while back home in Little Rock, he pitched the idea of starting aviation courses at Philander Smith College. Philander Smith then began holding classes, at then, Adams Field where he taught aviation for the college until 1953. From 1947-1953 he was a charter and crop duster pilot working for the Central Flying Service at Little Rock Airport. In 1972, with over 10,000 logged flight hours, he was signed on as an Equal Employment Opportunity and Race Relations Officer with the Department of Defense at Ft. Stewart near Hinesville, Ga. His combined service record extended over 40 years of federal service with the U.S. Army Air Corps. Upon his retirement in 1983, he returned to his hometown of Little Rock, Ark. In 1998, he was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame. As a result of this, his story is being told in the publication, "Pioneering African-American Aviators: Featuring the Tuskegee Airmen of Arkansas". On March 27, 2007, he was honored by Governor Mike Beebe for his historic efforts as a Tuskegee Flight Instructor and service to his country. In 2007, he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. He received numerous awards, accolades and certificates for his role as a Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTA) including the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. The Tuskegee Airmen is the largest group to ever receive this esteemed medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress. In January 2009, he attended President Barack Obama's Inauguration with fellow Tuskegee Airmen. On May 11, 2013, Milton P. Crenchaw Sr. received the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Arkansas Baptist College. At the age of 96, on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, God called upon Gabriel to sound his powerful horn to bring Dr. Milton P. Crenchaw Sr., home. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving daughters, Dolores Crenchaw Singleton; Lake Spivey, Ga. and Countess Crenchaw Murphy; Jacksonville, Fla. and son, Erwin (Dorel) Crenchaw, Washington, D.C.; seven grandchildren, Marc (Aprill) Crenshaw, Chicago, Ill.; Chris Crenchaw, Lithonia, Ga.; Treci (Milton) Watkin, Missouri City, Texas; Robert (Shannon) Singleton, Missouri City, Texas; Dexter (Jamila) Crenchaw, Decatur, Ga.; Joshua Crenchaw, Lithonia, Ga. and Ruby Crenshaw, St. Paul, Minn.; eight great-grandchildren, Alex Crenshaw, Caleb Crenchaw, Nina Simone Singleton, Peyton Crenchaw, Miles Chacon, Milton Watkin III, Taylor Watkin and Braxton Singleton; sister-in-law, Millicent Welch Penn; first cousin, Marion Fowler Armstrong; his beloved friend, Marian S. Torrence; special supportive family friend, Harold Bigelow; a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, colleagues and mentees. Funeral services are Tuesday Dec. 1, 2015, 10 a.m. at St. Mark Baptist Church, 5722 West 12th Street. A visitation will be held tomorrow from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Professional services entrusted to Hardy Funeral Home, 5300 West 12th Street. To sign the online guestbook visit hardyfuneralhomeinc.com. "We Care, When Caring Counts."

Published November 29, 2015

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