Dr. Richard Caesar

Dr. Richard Cornelius Caesar (1918 – 2011)

Richard Cornelius Caesar was a prominent dentist in San Francisco, a philanthropist, civic leader, air force officer, and combat pilot with the 332nd Fighter Squadron, best known as the famed Tuskegee Airmen, “Red Tails”. Caesar was born in Lake Village, Arkansas on April 12, 1918.

Caesar attended high school at Arkansas State College, the forerunner of Arkansas AM&N, now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. In 1940, Richard graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia with a Bachelor of Science degree. His studies included multiple science subjects which facilitated his acceptance in Meharry Medical College, a historic black medical college in Nashville, Tennessee where he earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) in 1951.

After graduating from Morehouse, Richard was drafted into the military. Because he was a college graduate, he was a prime candidate for officer and pilot training. The Army Air Corps only accepted volunteers. So he joined. He entered the Tuskegee Flight School as part of the Single Engine Section Class SE-42-H. On September 6, 1942, Caesar graduated from flight school, earning his wings and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, which was part of the 332nd Fighter Group.

His service spanned World War II and the Korean War at the completion of which he retired from the Air Force with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Caesar’s civic contributions were impressive. He was a Life Governor of the San Francisco Symphony. He was Chairman of the Board of the Young Men’s Christian Association and the YMCA gymnasium was named in his honor. Additionally, in 1984, the YMCA of San Francisco named him the Humanitarian of the Year. Morehouse College awarded him the Bennie Trailblazer Award in 2009. He was president of the San Francisco Dental Society and Chairman of Pacific Area Section of the Academy of Dentistry International. He was a lifetime member of the NAACP.

In March 2007, Caesar and the other Tuskegee Airmen were recognized by President George W. Bush presenting each with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their "unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces."

Richard C. Caesar passed away December 20, 2011 at his home in Foster City, California, and was interred at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California (located just south of San Francisco).