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Los Angeles Chapter,
Coming Soon
Board Member Profiles
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"While in the army I performed investigative and administrative tasks and command of a unit. As an engineer, I was part of several technical teams engaged in the design, testing, and evaluation of many airborne radar systems and air-to-air guided missiles.
As a military veteran, I am very familiar with the history and achievements of
the Tuskegee Airmen. In 1988, I was chairman of a reunion of Buffalo Soldiers held in Los Angeles. I visited the local chapter of TAI and requested their participation in the reunion. My request was accepted, and I was invited to join the chapter. One member, Edward Gleed, had served in the 10 th US Cavalry. He provided several items of memorabilia for display and ten members of the chapter participated in the closing banquet.
The ranks of Tuskegee airmen are getting thin. It is imperative that the
younger generation keep alive their sterling reputation. This can be achieved by joining local chapters and studying their history.
I am a military veteran who achieved the rank of a colonel. I am also a member of four veterans organization. In one of the veterans organization (9th and 10th
(Horse) Cavalry Association), I was the National President for six consecutive years. Under my watch, twelve chapters were chartered in twelve different locations, and national membership increased from 100 members to 1000 members. I have demonstrated leadership and administrative skills in veterans organizations and in the aerospace industry. One example is being chairman of six reunions of veterans held in locations from California to New York."
Franklin J. Henderson
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As a Los Angeles native, Joycelin Tomlin joined the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. in 1993—after the passing of her uncle, DOTA LT Colonel John L Whitehead (Mr Death), of the 332nd fighter wing, 100th Fighter Squadron. She has served in various offices, providing leadership on both national and local levels of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (TAI) organization. She has provided leadership as
TAI - Western Regional President, TAI - National Election Inspector, and as
National Elections Inspector. She has served on Chapter Scholarship Selection Committee, Nominating Committee, National Website Committee, and National Scholarship Board of Governors. Other areas of contribution include Newsletter Editor and Chapter Historian.
Mrs. Tomlin is a past President of the Los Angeles Chapter, and a currently board member. It is her mission to provide support and leadership carrying on the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Joycelin Tomlin
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Dorothy Thornhill joined the Tuskegee Airmen, Los Angeles Chapter in 1980 after marrying Levi Thornhill, who was a (DOTA) a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman. After moving to Los Angeles in 1972, she worked as a professor at Los Angeles Trade Technical College for 35 years, retiring in 2011.
Some of her notable areas of service include The League of Allied Arts which included two years as president, Tennessee State University Alumni Association, two years as president, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., Traveling Twenty Club, and several professional organizations. Dorothy and Levi love to travel, having visited several countries and many of the 50 States. They enjoyed entertaining and playing games.
“The Tuskegee Airmen were brave men and women, and true heroes. We need to keep this organization alive and well so that they are never forgotten, and our young boys and girls will know what they were all about”.
Dorothy Thornhell
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On December 18, 2020, the Los Angeles Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen (TA), Incorporated elected Dr. Sheila L. Chamberlain, President; its First Woman Pilot and TA Heritage Member. “We are excited that Dr. Chamberlain is our new President because of her leadership qualifications and commitment to the TA Legacy. She brings the experience and knowledge needed to increase the chapter membership and has made it her mission to get the Tuskegee Airmen story in California elementary, secondary schools and higher learning textbooks.“ said Joycelin Tomlin, Immediate Past President of Los Angeles Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (LACTAI).
Dr. Sheila L. Chamberlain is the First U.S. Army African American Woman Combat Intelligence Aviator/ Pilot, Past President of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) South Florida Chapter, a Charter Member and one of the Senior Advisors to Sisters’s of the Skies, Inc. (SOS) and currently the Official National Chair of Bessie Coleman’s 100th Anniversary Celebration (1921-2021).
She is a graduate of Fort Knox High School, in Kentucky, Magna cum Laude graduate from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA with postgraduate Public Administration studies at the University of Oklahoma, and earned her Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Miami School of Law in Miami, Florida to name a few.
Chamberlain serviced in the United States (US) Regular Army and in the US Army Reserves, serving the majority of her career overseas in Central and South America and the Caribbean, Asia to include Four Hardship Tours in Korea and is a Persian Gulf War Veteran. “Such a lonely road of back-to-back hard duty stations, but I’m still standing.” She said. “Just so honored by the vote of confidence given to me, humbled t serve and grateful to be following in the footsteps of another one of my favorite mentor Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen ( DOTA) Roger “Bill” Terry, to lead this historic chapter at such a time as this in our Nation’s History” said Chamberlain.
Chamberlain made history again in 1998, as The First Woman Pilot to be elected at the National Level of the Tuskegee Airmen (TA) Incorporated as National Parliamentarian. Further, she is also a National Aviation Pioneer and Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) Hall of Famer and in several National Museums.
She grew up a Military Brat in West Germany. Her father was a US Army Combat Engineer, and her mother was a Nurse and Entrepreneur. Mentored by Pioneer Aviatrix, Willa Brown Chappell, Chamberlain paid close attention to the TA comportment, their character, and their contributions and service to America, civil rights, all of which makes her an asset to this chapter the Los Angeles community and the State of California!” said Tomlin. Her other mentors include: Chamberlain’s cousin, LT. Col (USAF) Luke Weathers Jr. also a Distinguished (Documented) Original Tuskegee Airman (DOTA; Dr. Nancy Leftenant- Colon (DOTA), The Honorable Judge Earl E. Strayhorn (DOTA), Thomas Allen, Aviation Pioneer, and many more.
For over 38 years Chamberlain has been a member of various Aviation and Aerospace Organizations where she continues to mentor young people who desire careers in aviation and the aerospace industry. She is the recipient of numerous military, national, state and local municipalities and community awards/recognition! Her name appears in the United States Congressional Records twice.
Sheila Chamberlian, J.D.
Roberta Ann Jones, RN, was raised to be an active and productive member of society. For her, being involved in the community is a must.
After completing high school in Marion, Ohio, Roberta attended Farland Medical Center School of Nursing in Sandusky, Ohio where she completed studies to become a
Registered Nurse. Subsequently, she earned both B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Redlands, California. After attending U.C.L.A., Roberta received her teaching credential from the State of California. Roberta has worked over the course of her career as both a clinical nursing supervisor and a nursing instructor. She has also worked in the home health field. She currently teaches CPR and first-aid classes. Roberta also writes, teaches and administers disaster preparedness plans for churches and other organizations.
The list of organizations in which Roberta Jones is active attests to her community involvements: United Methodist Women, the Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Philomathean Charity Club, Inc., and Los Angeles Chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction, the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, NAACP/Win, and Retired Educators. She is also an association member of the Black Pilots of America. She is past President of the Los Angeles Urban League Guild and is a past board member of the Los Angeles Urban League. Roberta also served as the Western Regional Coordinator of the National Urban League Guilds. She is also a member of the Ebel Theatre, and currently sits on the Board of the Tuskegee Airmen of America.
Roberta is the proud mother of Rufus “Ray” Jones, Jr.
Roberta Ann Jones
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Rosanna Wilson Beaumont, is a daughter of Tuskegee Airman fighter pilot Myron Wilson, of the 302nd Squadron with the 332nd Fighter Group. Having periodically attended LACTAI meetings since 1995 when the dynamism of the original airmen predominated, she formally became a member in 2012 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2016. In 2023 she began serving as First Vice President on the LACTAI Board of Directors. She brings to LACTAI, prior experience with other local, state, and national Boards; a 30-year history of public service with the County of Los Angeles as a Program Manager; a deeply rooted respect for the Tuskegee Airmen and the journey of African American citizens in the U.S.A.; as well as firmly grounded hope for the torch bearers of this legacy—our youth!
Rosanna (Wilson) Beaumont
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Monica Isabell began her specialization in the field of Senior Services in 1995 when she partnered up with a Alliance For Mature Americans, a company that specialized in setting up Revocable Living Trusts and Estate Plans for Senior Americans. Besides from being a Real Estate Consultant for Keller Williams Realty, she is also a Certified Living Trust Consultant and Estate Planner. Monica is the Co-Founder and Project Director for Positive Aging and Wellness Network, a program that is designed to increase Civic engagement and Community Resources among Mature Adults and Elders that can enhance their lives with a vibrant Life Force of passion-driven activity and Life Long Learning Programming.
Monica is a resident of Los Angeles, California and is very active in the community and in her work place. Monica joined the Los Angeles Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc in 2012 after being invited to attend their General meeting by a long term member ( Bobbee Zeno) and she is also an active Board member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Incorporated. Since joining the organization, she has become a very active member in sharing and educating others about the Tuskegee Airmen. Currently she sits on the Board of Directors. She is the Phone Tree Director and she works directly with the Membership Chairperson.
Monica is also the Chief Operating Officer for the West Athens / Westmont Community Task Force as well as a volunteer for the South Los Angeles Sheriffs Clergy Council; She sits on the board of the Zoe Christian Fellowship Endowment Committee, in which her plan for providing long-term care services for our seniors was adopted and embraced.
Monica has been providing consultation services for over 20 years in the areas of Real Estate, Estate Planning, Retirement and Long-term Care Planning; She hosts workshops and seminars at Senior Centers, churches, businesses and in the homes of her clients. She has made it her mission to provide education and information that is both vital and essential for Positive Aging and Progressive Wellness in all areas of life.
Monica utilizes her consulting and planning skills in implementing and developing new programs and to assist in bringing needed services and resources to those individuals, families and businesses that are in need. Monica’s passion is to help our community in any way that she can.
Monica L. Isabell
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Gilbert Wayne Hedgpeth is a current member of the Los Angeles Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., (LACTAI). Wayne as he prefers to be called has been a member of LACTAI since 2011. On December 2014 he was elected to the Board of Directors of LACTAI.
Wayne has volunteered his services as a member of the Chapter Public Relations Committee since 2012. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the College Of New Jersey in 1977. Wayne earned his Master degree in Human Services (MHS) from Lincoln University in 2001. In 1991, he earned his certification as a Certified Addictions Specialist (CAS) from the American Academy of Health Care Providers in the Addictive Disorders. In 1985, he received his Private Detective license from the New Jersey State Police Private Detective Unit, New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety. In December 2007, Wayne retired from the New Jersey State Department of Corrections where he was promoted in 2003 to the position of Assistant Division Director, Division of Programs and Community Services.
Prior to working for the NJ Department of Corrections Wayne was employed six years by NJ State Division of Criminal Justice, State Attorney Generals as a Criminal Investigator. He is a graduate of Burlington County Police Academy where he completed extensive training in the first Detective and Investigator’s training course, sponsored by the New Jersey Police Training Commission.
As a teenager, Wayne became involved as an amateur boxer with the Trenton Police Athletic League (PAL), while learning the fundamentals of boxing he entered the New Jersey Golden Gloves tournament. In both 1970 -71, he competed in and won the State Golden Gloves Boxing Tournaments. In 1988, after a seven year tenure as an amateur boxing referee with the United States of America, Amateur Boxing Federation (U.S.A./ A.B.F.), Wayne became a professional boxing referee. Since turning professional he has refereed many World Boxing Championships within the United States and around the world. His fights have been featured on HBO, ESPN, Boxing After Dark Series, and Showtime
Wayne Hedgepeth
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