DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A traveling museum highlighting the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) has made a stop in Decatur, giving residents a chance to learn more about the groups’ roles in World War II.
CAF RISE ABOVE Squadron's mobile exhibit is set up at the Macon County Historical Museum in Decatur. The exhibit features documentaries and displays that tell the stories of both groups and their contributions to the Allied victory.
The mobile exhibit helps bring the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) to life
Chris Allen, exhibit director for the Commemorative Airforce’s Rise Above program, said the traveling exhibit was created to help people better understand the history behind the aircraft and the people who flew them.
Allen said the mobile museum helps bring that history to life through a pair of 15-minute documentaries that allow the airmen themselves to share their experiences.
“We created this traveling exhibit. It offers a short 15-minute documentary about the Tuskegee Airmen and lets the airmen … tell their own story in their own words,” Allen explained.
The exhibit also includes the story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, known as WASP. The group of civilian female pilots flew military aircraft during the war, helping ferry planes and perform other duties.
Allen said the WASP documentary was added several years ago to highlight another group that faced significant barriers while serving their country.
“It’s another story of a group who wanted to contribute to the defense of the country and helped defeat the Nazis overseas, and then had to win a second victory back here in the States to prove all the skills and excellence they demonstrated were still relevant in the country following the war,” Allen said.
Macon County History Museum Executive Director Nathan Pierce said bringing the traveling exhibit to Decatur also helps highlight the community’s local connections to this history.
Pierce said Decatur has ties to both groups, including Ellsworth Dansby, a master sergeant and Tuskegee Airman from the city.
“We had a Tuskegee Airmen connection here, as well as Women’s Airforce Service Pilots,” Pierce said. “I thought that would be kind of a neat thing to have come to the community and show that our ties with the history of what they show across the country.”
Pierce said the Macon County History Museum has also recognized several local women who served as WASP pilots during the war.
“Geraldine Fulk Crook and Jane Tallman … were local Women’s Airforce Service Pilots from the area as well,” Pierce said.
Museum leaders said the traveling exhibit allows visitors to learn about the obstacles these pilots faced, including discrimination and a lack of recognition during the war.
Pierce said understanding those challenges helps put their accomplishments into perspective.
“It was difficult in the 1940s for them to be able to do what they managed to accomplish,” Pierce said. “Their stories of how they even got to where they were [are] incredible.”
Allen said he hopes the exhibit both inspires younger visitors and educates adults about the impact these aviators had on American history.
“With the kids, we hope it inspires. With adults, we hope it educates,” Allen said.
The traveling exhibit will remain at the Macon County Historical Museum, 5580 N. Fork Rd. Decatur, IL 62521, through Sunday. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the final documentary screening beginning at 3 p.m. Admission to the exhibit is free.
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