The History of the Dale Mabry Airfield During World War 1 a man named Dale Mabry was an aviator and considered to be one of the best during this war.
Tallahassee's first airport was named after him and became active in 1938 due to the high honor that he held. The airfield consisted of many different components including flying school and other training activities. The airfield doubled in size over the years due to the popularity of it. By 1944, the airfield training facility was at an all time peak regarding the amount of people that wanted to learn fundamentals from there.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, America was in a frantic and realized something needed to be done and needed to be done fast.
At this point in time, America was considered weak because of their choice to opt out of war- up until this point.
The Dale Mabry airfield was built and used for men to be taught how to fly and fight in battle. Within this time period the military was segregated and an upcoming idea came to mind that allowed men of color the opportunity to be involved in military activity, although it was very miniscule compared to what the white men were allowed to do.
The minority military personnel were allowed to drive trucks, cook, and bake. They were offered little freedom regarding access to the library, not allowed to be in the ‘nicer’ barracks and could only participate occasionally in leisure activities.
Goals were to be set during this time regarding how long it would take for someone to receive air training, the deadline was ninety days.
Many people from all over the country were traveling to be at the Dale Mabry airfield for training and instruction. Many were called to come out while others volunteered. The land of the airfield, as of 1960, has been since built and used for those to further their education at Tallahassee Community College.
Only a slither of the airfield parcel is left untouched. Since 1960, the Dale Mabry Airfield changed its name to Tallahassee Regional Airport and is used for the public rather than for just the military.
