World War II Tuskegee Airman Lee Hayes to Speak at Brookhaven Lab, August 3

July 14, 2006

UPTON, NY - Lee Hayes, a World War II Tuskegee Airman, will give a talk at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory at noon in Berkner Hall on Thursday, Aug. 3, about his achievements and challenges as one of the first black military airmen in the U.S. Sponsored by the Brookhaven Employees Recreation Association and Brookhaven Lab's Diversity Office, the talk is free and open to the public. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.

Hayes, a resident of Amagansett who worked at Brookhaven Lab as a custodian from 1958 to 1966, served in an all-black bomber squadron at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. He was among 994 precedent-breaking black soldiers at Tuskegee who passed rigorous tests between 1942 and 1946 to become pilots in the then-segregated armed forces. According to the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., website (www.tuskegeeairmen.org), "These airmen fought two wars - one against a military force overseas and the other against racism at home and abroad."

Call (631) 344-3846 for more information. The Laboratory is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

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