Shelby Westbrook

Shelby Foster Westbrook (1922 – 2016)

First Lieutenant Shelby Foster Westbrook was a decorated fighter pilot in the all-black 99th Pursuit Squadron of the unit famously remembered as the Tuskegee Airmen and after WWII, he pursued a career in electronics with the W. R. Grace & Co designing various types of control circuits co-inventing a patented processing system still in use.

Westbrook was born in Marked Tree, Arkansas, the youngest of seven children. Because of the tragic loss of both parents in 1934 due to medical issues, Shelby had to move to Toledo, Ohio at age twelve to live with his older brother. He attended integrated schools in Toledo graduating in 1939 from Libbey High School . After the war commenced, Shelby later noted that he was determined not to end up as a "foot soldier." This motivation led him to specifically seek out the Army Air Corps when the draft became a reality for him.

In March 1943 shortly after his 21st birthday, even though he had never been in an airplane, Shelby enrolled in aviation cadet training at Tuskegee Army Airfield. His aptitude was immediate. He graduated as a Second Lieutenant on February 8, 1944 just 11 months later, and was sent to Selfridge Air Field, Detroit, Michigan to take training in single engine fighter planes.

Westbrook was attached to the 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group and sent to Italy in July 1944. He flew 60 combat missions over 12 countries in Europe between July 1944 and May 1945. On his 31st mission, his P-51 Mustang engine failed, forcing him to bail out over Yugoslavia. He was rescued by Marshal Tito’s Partisans and spent 30 days evading capture before returning to duty. On October 4, 1944, he shot down a German Bf 109 fighter plane. His bravery earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 5 Clusters, and the French Legion of Honor (awarded in 2013). In 2006, he was among the airmen who collectively received the Congressional Gold Medal.

Westbrook returned to the United States in 1945. Despite his distinguished war record, Shelby faced racial discrimination when he tried to become a commercial pilot after the war. This led him to "pivot" his career toward technology. He moved to Chicago and using his GI Bill benefits he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronics from the American Television Institute of Technology. He spent 18 years as an Electrical Engineer at W.R. Grace & Co. in Chicago, where he designed electronic control circuits for packaging machinery.

Shelby Westbrook married in 1952. They resided on the South Side of Chicago in the same house until his wife’s death in 2006. They did not have any children, but their extended families made them a deeply loved aunt and uncle to their many nieces and nephews from both sides of the family.
Westbrook died on August 17, 2016 aged 94 of natural causes. He is interred at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elmwood, Illinois.