After school on Feb. 20, History Club hosted a guest speaker, Mr. Malcolm V. Nettingham, the son of Malcolm E. Nettingham, to speak about his father’s legacy. 

February is Black History Month, which is celebrated in the United States as well as in several other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland. 

During his presentation, Nettingham dove into his father’s life and the historical time periods in which he lived. His father died in 2020 at 101 years old. He was two weeks away from his 102nd birthday. To commemorate Nettingham’s life, one of our district’s middle schools, formerly known as Park Middle School, changed its name to Malcolm E. Nettingham Middle School in September 2021.

Nettingham explained how the Tuskegee Airmen were the first group of African American aviators during World War II. Nettingham’s father, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, was part of the integration force for the U.S. Army. He qualified for the Army Air Corps Flight Radio Operator division.

After 23 weeks, the Airmen received their wings, or qualification badge. The Tuskegee Airmen received a congressional gold medal during World War II. Nettingham’s father did not receive his congressional medal until 2007, when the President gave a speech for the remaining Tuskegee Airmen. 

During the presentation, Nettingham played a recording of an interview with his father to further teach the students about the history of both our country and African Americans during World War II. Afterwards, Nettingham continued to talk about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen. 

He explained how although the Armed Forces were integrated, there were still cases of segregation 20 years later. He also recalled his experience going to an inauguration with his father in Washington D.C.

Through sharing both his own experiences in the military and his father’s experiences as a member of one of the first integrated Tuskegee Airmen crew, he was able to educate and connect with students at SPFHS in a new way.

“We decided to invite Mr. Nettingham because his father was very well known in the community and had a long lasting impact,” SPFHS sophomore Spencer Martin said. “He was one of the first African Americans in one of the first branches of the military to be integrated, which is a pretty big thing…It’s pretty cool that he lived in our town.” 

Both Martin and sophomore Max Nicholson work together to run History Club, where they invite various influential and historical figures to discuss moments in history with students.