Memorial Bench honoring Leslie Edwards, Jr.

Submitted by:

  • Jacqueline Covington

Location:

  • In the Village of Lincoln Heights-OH, the Memorial Bench is located at the corner of Medosch Avenue and Villas Circle.

The Memorial Bench was the vision, design and at the expense of CAF Colonel / RTS Ambassador-Supporter, Jacqueline Covington. The expense of etching and installation was donated by Mr. Timothy C. Rolf, Owner of Rolf Monument Company, Inc. of Newport-KY.  Surprise donations were received from M. Diane Hamm (GCCTAI Historian), Timothy M. Burke (OH Lawyer with Edwards in DC) and Edwards’ daughters, Diana Henry-IA / Imogene Bowers-OH.

Leslie Edwards, Jr. was recognized for being (1) the only Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTA) from the small, 1st ALL Black Self-Governing City North of the Mason-Dixon Line near Cincinnati-OH and (2) for his determination to prove that Black tenants living in the Valley Homes Complex (where he once lived) had deliberately been over-charged for their properties by the Government.  In 1979, his persistence in Washington-DC led to the elimination of a $540,000 Federal Government debt.  And in 1980, cancellation of the mortgages by a provision in the Housing and Community Development Act.

Learn more about SSgt Leslie Edwards in Tuskegee Airmen Profiles!

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