Chrystal Cole’s uncle recently made a church announcement, in their hometown of Hernando, Miss., that his niece might be a “Jeopardy!” question. He told the congregation that Cole would be the correct answer in identifying the first Tuskegee Airwoman.
Not quite. She would be the second woman.
Cole, 23, is the second graduate and first woman to complete an aviation program that partners Tuskegee University and Kansas State University at Salina. After graduating from Tuskegee in May with a degree in aerospace engineering, Cole received an associate’s in professional piloting from K-State in December.
Tuskegee no longer has a formal flight program, but the partnership between the two schools is in the spirit of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, black fighter pilots who flew combat during World War II.
Tuskegee Airman Col. George Boyd presented Cole with her diploma in December. On several occasions, Cole met with some of the airmen and used them as a support system.
“I told them what I wanted to do. They told me, if this is what you want to do, go for it and don’t let anyone stand in your way,” Cole said. “The Tuskegee Airmen paved the road for us. We’re supposed to be there to pick up the path.”
