Colonel Lawrence Campbell

Colonel Campbell became a resident of Oregon when his parents and siblings moved to Portland from Oklahoma in 1942 to work in the Kaiser Shipyards during WWII. He attended and graduated from Washington High School and attended the University of Portland. He is identified with Oregon and has made significant and historic contributions to the aviation industry by becoming the nation’s first African American to fly a jet plane and command an Air National Guard Unit. Colonel Campbell first started flying with the Civil Aeronautics Patrol (CAP) in Portland, Oregon, while still in high school. In 1944 he passed the Army Air Corps pilot exam and was inducted into the Pilot Cadet training program at Tuskegee Army Air Force Base training in the AT-6 aircraft. Following the end of WWII, Campbell was among many cadets released from the service. He re-enlisted in 1946 and was sent to Randolph Field for advanced flight training flying the P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter. Upon successfully completing this phase, Cadet Campbell was sent to Williams Field for his final training flying the P-51 Fighter aircraft. Colonel Lawrence Campbell passed away in 1992.