Dr. L. Mishoe, Lt. Col. Hales inducted in Del. Aviation Hall of Fame
The Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame now has two more inductees from Delaware State University – Lt. Col. Michael Hales, for his years as a military aviator and director of the DSU Aviation Program, and the late Delaware State College President Dr. Luna I. Mishoe, for his years serving as part of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen.
Lt. Col. Hales’ induction and Dr. Mishoe’s posthumous induction to place at the Oct. 27 Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame Awards Banquet held at the Executive Banquet and Conference Center in Newark, Del.
The Hall of Fame recognized Lt. Col. Hales 25-year career in the U.S. Army, in which he was deployed five times as a combat pilot, aviation advisor, and as the director of the Iraqi Flight School. He was also honored for his leadership that resulted in the growth of the DSU Aviation Program.
In Hales’ seven-tenure tenure at DSU, the Aviation Program tripled under his leadership from 57 students to its current 163 and saw the University invest in 15 new aircraft and build a Helicopter Flight Training Program with the U.S. Army ROTC. He was instrumental in raising $4 million in donations in support of the Aviation Program, founded the annual HBCU Aviation Director’s Summit and obtained FAA self-examining authority for four of the six certification/ratings, saving more than $6,000 per student in Designated Pilot Examination fees.
Dr. Mishoe’s posthumous induction came in recognition of his World War II service as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. Dr. Mishoe was a First Lieutenant and a Photographic Intelligence and Communications Officer. Dr. Mishoe service as Tuskegee Airman was unknown until an independent researcher discovered his connection to the legendary group and that finding was confirmed by the national office of the Tuskegee Airman. After that validation, his family received a posthumous Congression Gold Medal in recognition of his service.
More than a decade after his military service, Dr. Mishoe became the President of then-Delaware State College, a tenure that last 27 years (1960-1987). Dr. Mishoe passed away in 1989.
Of the 126 inductees of the Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame – established in 2000 – Lt. Col Hales and Dr. Mishoe are the sixth and seventh African Americans to be honored by that body. Other previous DSU-connected inductees have been the late Dr. Daniel E. Coons, the founding director of the DSU Aviation Program (2011) and Hans Reigle, a former Aviation Program instructor and Assistant Director (2017).