Description
The Mitchell Higginbotham papers are contained within the Tuskegee Airmen Archive. This archive consists of materials related
to those individuals who served at Tuskegee Army Air Field, and its predecessors, as well as materials pertaining to Tuskegee
Airmen, Inc., a non-profit organization.
This collection includes newspaper clippings, programs, photographs, brochures, and documents. Most of these items are related
to the military history of the Tuskegee Airmen, events of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and African American history. This collection
also contains some items pertaining to aviation history and Higginbotham's personal life.
Background
Mitchell Higginbotham was born on March 2, 1921 in Amherst, Virginia. He began active duty in the United States military during
the summer of 1942 and graduated at Tuskegee Army Air Field on February 1, 1945 as a member of class TE-44-K. Upon graduation
he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and was an original member of the famed 477th Bomber Group. He remained on active
duty in the military until 1946 and was a reserve from 1946 to 1962. After his military service ended, Higginbotham served
as a registrar at the Pittsburg Airport for the Los Angeles Airport Advisory Committee, and was also a probation officer with
the Los Angeles County Probation Department for nearly three decades. In 1996, Mitchell Higginbotham was honored as the "Man
of the Year" by the Los Angeles Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
Extent
8.52 linear feet
(8 boxes, 2 flat file folders)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & University Archives.
Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission
of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable
rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Availability
This collection is open for research.