Obituary- Archon Art Carter
One of Indiana's last Tuskegee Airmen, Archon Arthur (Art) Carter, Alpha Eta Boulé, Indianapolis, was called home on January 6, 2015. Archon Carter was 92 years old and right up to his passing, was still known for his cheerful demeanor and quick wit.
Archon Arthur Lloyd Carter Sr. was born Dec. 7, 1922, in Houston, the only child of Ida Brooks and Arthur Carter. He was raised by his grandmother, Cora Brooks, in Indianapolis. He graduated from Crispus Attucks High School and studied accounting at Indiana University, before heading off to World War II.
The Tuskegee Airmen were an all-black U.S. Army air squadron formed in 1941, when the military was segregated. The fighter group escorted American bombers as they hit German targets during World War II. They flew 15,000 combat missions, and not one of the bombers they were charged with protecting was shot down. But after the war the Tuskegee Airmen were all but forgotten, often excluded from the victory parades and post-war opportunities that awaited many returning heroes. Many history books ignored them.
Sadly, the airmen faded into obscurity even as American G.I.'s were celebrated in movies and TV shows. A 1995 HBO movie starring Laurence Fishburne changed that, bringing the airmen to the attention of a nation ready to learn about them. G.I. Joe action figures followed, as did other films, including George Lucas' "Red Tails" in 2012. Appropriately so, the Airmen have become revered in old age. They are frequent guests at schools, where they tell their stories of triumph and heartache to students of all ages.
In 2007 about 300 of them, including Archon Carter, traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation's highest honors, from President George W. Bush. "(President) Bush saluted us," Carter recalled in a 2007 interview. "He said, 'This is for the salutes that were not returned when you saluted.'"
Archon Carter lived a vibrant post-war life. He was married for four decades to the former Ann Grace Barygyh, and the couple had five children. He worked as an accountant for the federal government and also operated his own travel agency. He was active in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, where he was initiated in 1947 and remained active until his final days. Archon Carter received both of the fraternity's most coveted awards, the Laurel Wreath and the Elder Watson Diggs. He was a member of two additional social clubs, the Bachelor Benedict Club and the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Club. In addition, he volunteered for the Boy Scouts of America and after 27 years of service received that group's Silver Beaver Award. Archon Carter was initiated into Alpha Eta Boulé in 1990 and served for many years as it's Thesauristes.
Like all veterans of World War II, the Tuskegee Airmens' ranks are thinning. Of the some 500 airmen who fought in the war, some as pilots, most as ground crewmen, it's believed only a couple of dozen are still alive.
Carter is survived by four children and eight grandchildren, as well as several great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.