ROCKVILLE, Md. — With a powerful swing toward progress, the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (ECCTAI) will host its signature fundraiser, the General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. 34th Annual Golf Classic, on Aug. 11 at Norbeck Country Club in Rockville, one of Maryland’s premier courses.
More than just a day on the greens, the Golf Classic funds the chapter’s Youth in Aviation Program (YIAP) and college scholarship effort, pillars of ECCTAI’s mission to preserve the legacy of the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen while inspiring deserving youth from underrepresented communities to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace sciences.
The fundraiser is the last of three key events ECCTAI launched this year to meet a critical $100,000 target to cover the budget for the nonprofit’s two key programs.
With a golf tournament registration deadline approaching the week of July 14, organizers are urging early signups, sponsorships and word-of-mouth support to ensure the event’s success.
“This tournament is more than a fundraiser; it’s a lifeline for the next generation of pilots, engineers and innovators,” said Robert Bullett, ECCTAI’s Golf Committee chair. “Every golfer, every donor, every sponsor is helping to launch future aviators and preserve the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy.”
Started more than three decades ago, the tournament has become a cherished tradition, blending golf, camaraderie, gourmet food and a chance to win an array of prizes. But this year, the stakes are higher than ever.
The chapter recently marked a solemn milestone: the passing of its last living Documented Original Tuskegee Airman. And ECCTAI’s leadership has noted that current funds may not be enough to cover the budget for the aviation and scholarship programs.
That urgency is paired with the national reality: According to 2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professionals from underrepresented communities account for less than 4% of the aviation industry workforce. ECCTAI sees its programs as an essential pipeline for aspiring aviators and aerospace professionals.
That commitment to building a more inclusive future finds powerful inspiration in the life and legacy of the late Tuskegee Airman Dr. Fenton B. Sands Sr., this year’s honoree at the golf classic. Sands’ contributions spanned both military achievements and global agricultural development. Commissioned in 1944, he became a decorated navigator-bombardier with the elite 477th Bombardment Group, flying B-25 bombers. Post-war, he built a 40-year career as an international agriculture expert, working in 24 countries before retiring from the World Bank in 1982.
ECCTAI encourages community members, aviation advocates, and corporate partners to join the fundraising effort by registering, donating or sharing the event with friends and colleagues before the July 14 deadline.
For more information or to register for the Golf Classic, visit ECCTAI’s website or contact Bullett at 703-729-5902 or golf@ecctai.org.
ABOUT THE EAST COAST CHAPTER TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, INC.
Founded in 1973, the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (ECCTAI) is the oldest and largest chapter of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. ECCTAI has about 100 members from diverse backgrounds, which include Tuskegee Airmen heritage-kindred descendants, active-duty and retired military, civil servants and private citizens from all walks of life. At one time, the chapter included more than 50 Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen, combat veterans of World War II who received their military training at Tuskegee, Alabama. ECCTAI provides educational assistance scholarships to students and produces a Youth in Aviation Program that preserves the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy and supports workforce development initiatives in underserved and underrepresented communities. ECCTAI’s geographical focus area is the District of Columbia and its surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia. The chapter is incorporated in Washington, D.C., and has its 501(C)3 designation.
