In December 2017, Stetson Professor Patrick Coggins, PhD, authored “Tuskegee Airmen WWII Fighter Pilots: The Story of an Original Tuskegee Pilot, Lt. Col. Hiram E. Mann.” The book honors the decorated Black airmen, known as the “Red Tails,” who never lost a bomber they escorted during World War II. It also documents Mann’s progress from working as a hotel bellman to studying romance languages at Philander Smith College and becoming a pilot in the 99th Pursuit Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group.

Coggins has been profiled multiple times on Stetson Today, most recently here.

Note: Each day during February, Stetson will highlight a different reason for the university to celebrate Black History Month.