After a nice breakfast at the hotel, my first visit of the day will be at the George Washington Carver Museum at the Tuskegee Institute. Ellison attended the Tuskegee Institute in order to study music and ended up finding a love for writing as well. This is where his writing career began. Carver taught at the Tuskegee Institute for 40 years, becoming the most well-known teacher in the school's history. This museum has exhibits about his life as well as a 30 minute movie shown upon request. It would be interesting to spend a couple hours here to learn about arguably the most important man in the university's history.
At around 12 pm, it will be time for a lunch break. One of the most famous eateries in Tuskegee is known as the Coop. It boasts southern soul food, complete with fried chicken and any side one could ask for. I think I'll be going for the fried okra and mac and cheese. I'm looking forward to this.
After lunch, I will return to the Tuskegee University campus to visit the home of Booker T. Washington, known as The Oaks. I said Carver might be the most important person in the history of the Tuskegee Institute, but this man can rival that claim. His affiliation with both Ralph Ellison and the Tuskegee Airmen is very close, as he founded (and even built) the school at which they studied. Tours are given until 3 pm on Sundays, so I will make sure to catch the last tour after my undoubtably heavy lunch settles down.
For my evening I would like to do something a little different. There is a restored plantation in Tuskegee known as the Grey Columns Plantation just outside of Tuskegee. I would like to pack a lunch and spend the evening on the grounds of the plantation. I will take a few things to read, including "Flying Home," and of course my guitar. The experience of reading Ellison's short story on a plantation near to where Todd probably crashed will hopefully give me a unique appreciation for the story. I will also be spending some time in my hammock, reading Scripture, and watching the sunset. After quite a bit of non-stop road tripping, this will be nice night to reflect on the things I have done so far and how that helps me to understand Ellison and the Airmen better. I will then head back to my hotel for some rest.
My album for the day will be one that was just released in March of this year by Lionel Richie, entitled "Tuskegee." It's a country album featuring many of the biggest names in country, and is inspired by the town itself. Below is a clip of "Easy," a song featuring the always wonderful Willie Nelson.
After waking up and having my lovely southern-style breakfast, I am off to Tuskegee at 8:00 am sharp. It's only a 45 minute drive, but I want to make sure to arrive in time for the 45th Annual Memorial Day Fly-In, located at the Tuskegee Municipal Airport. This is the site of the base where the Tuskegee Airmen trained. It will be a surreal experience being in the same place that the Airmen flew, watching the fly-overs throughout the day. I am very excited to go through the interactive exhibits that will be on display and to enjoy the carnival food (there will definitely be corn dogs and turkey legs consumed this day).
What I'm most looking forward to this day, however, is the chance to meet a real Tuskegee Airman. The man pictured here is LTC William Holland III, a fighter pilot in WWII and a proud member of the Tuskegee Airmen. He is pictured here at the event in 2010, and he died shortly thereafter. Although there are not very many men remaining, I still have the opportunity to talk to at least one. The opportunity to meet and talk to someone who was actually there is one of the most exciting moments of my trip. I hope to be able to ask him how the pressures of representing his fellow African Americans in such a big way and in such a crucial era was like. Was he, like Todd, overwhelmed? I'm looking forward to hearing his response.
That night, I plan on spending some time at P B's Blues Bar to experience live music in the city that Ellison studied it in. I'm looking forward to engaging in the city's music culture. There are apparently no pictures or any websites about this place, so I can't show you anything. This may make the night that much more exciting, though. Who knows how crazy it could get?
That night I will stay my first of two nights at the Kellogg Hotel.
In the spirit of the day, I will be listening to "Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton, originally written by Benny Goodman. This song was the inspiration for Ellison's short story with the same title, and it seems appropriate considering the activities of the day.
