Roy Elmer LaGrone (1921–1993)

Roy Elmer LaGrone, an original Tuskegee Airman, was a member of the famous Red Tails, the first all-Black aviation squadron in World War II, and also became a noted artist.

Roy LaGrone was born in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) on February 1, 1921, to Edward LaGrone (a veteran of World War I who was a fireman for the Cotton Belt Railroad) and Gussie LaGrone (a homemaker). LaGrone attended the segregated school system in Pine Bluff during the 1930s, graduating from Merrill High School. His fascination with flying began as a teenager when he took a short ride in an airplane from a local airfield. The experience steered him toward aviation.

LaGrone attended the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), where he was a member of the Senior Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, serving as first sergeant. Before graduating, he was drafted into the Army Air Corps in 1942 and later entered flight training at the Tuskegee Army Air Field, graduating with Class 44-D on April 15, 1944, and being commissioned as a second lieutenant.

LaGrone was a fighter pilot with the 332^nd Fighter Group (the famous Red Tails), flying P-47 Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs in escort missions for heavy bombers over Germany and occupied Europe. He participated in the longest escort mission performed by the Tuskegee unit, a 1,600-mile round-trip from Italy to Berlin on March 24, 1945, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He also received two Bronze Stars during his European service.

LaGrone was stationed in Caserta, Italy. He often noted that the Italian theater of the war provided a different social experience than the United States, famously stating that it was the first place he could “sit down in a restaurant and be treated like a customer.” LaGrone attained the rank of major and after his discharge remained in Italy to study at the University of Florence. During his stay, he met his future wife, Ester M. Del Vescovo. They eventually settled in Somerset, New Jersey, where they raised their two daughters, Marilyn and Tania. He completed his studies at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, graduating in 1949.

LaGrone’s forty-four-year career as an artist began by designing and illustrating book jackets for the major New York publishers such as Harper & Row, Random House, and others. He served as illustrator and designer for Family Circle magazine and was art director for Avon Books, Patent Magazine, and CBS. He was an Artist Member of the New York Society of Illustrators. LaGrone’s lifelong project was to tell the story of the sacrifices and contributions of the nation’s Black military aviators through his paintings. Twenty-four of his paintings are in the Air Force Art Collection housed in the Pentagon.

LaGrone died of a heart attack at his home in Somerset County, New Jersey, on December 8, 1993. Ester died in 2006. They are buried at Franklin Memorial Park in North Brunswick, New Jersey. Tuskegee’s Heroes: As Depicted in the Aviation Art of Roy E. LaGrone was published by Motorbooks International in 1996. In 2001, he was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey.

For additional information:
Roy E. LaGrone. https://royelagrone.com/ (accessed July 8, 2026).

Saxon, Wolfgang. “Roy E. LaGrone, 72, a Tuskegee Airman and Ex-Art Director.” New York Times, December 14, 1993. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/14/obituaries/roy-e-lagrone-72-a-tuskegee-airman-and-ex-art-director.html (accessed July 8, 2026).

Richard Holbert
Little Rock, Arkansas