Event:

A Dedication Ceremony designating the Mt. Clemens, MI Post Office as the
“Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson Post Office.”

On October 1, 2024, legislation introduced in the United States Congress to designate the Post Office building at 155 South Main Street, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, as the “Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson Post Office”, was signed into law by the President. This legislation was introduced in the United States Congress by Senator Gary Peters.

“We honor Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson by dedicating the Mt. Clemens Post Office building for his dedicated service to his country as one of the Tuskegee Airmen,” said Rick Moreton, USPS District Manager, Michigan One. “Dedicating the plaque, which will be placed in the post office lobby, we have an obligation in the Postal Service to preserve his memory for the community, his students, his family and those that were personally touched by Alexander Jefferson’s sacrifice.”

When:

Monday, July 21, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

Where:

Mt. Clemens Post Office
155 S. Main St
Mt. Clemens, MI  48043

Who:

The Honorable Senator Gary Peters, State of Michigan
Ron Morris, Postmaster, City of Detroit, Michigan One District
Earnestine Lavergne, Granddaughter of Lt Col Alexander Jefferson
Rev. Dr. Anthony R. Hood 
Family and Friends of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson
Family and Friends of Former Tuskegee Airmen

Background:

Alexander Jefferson, born on November 15, 1921, in Detroit, MI, led a remarkable life that exemplified courage, resilience and dedication. As the only African American student to take college preparatory classes at Detroit Chadsey High School, he went on the earn his Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Biology from Clark College in 1942. He completed pilot training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in 1944.

Serving with the 332nd Fighter Goup as a P-51 “Red Tail” fighter pilot in Ramitelli, Italy, as a Tuskegee Airman, Jefferson’s valor was evident during his 19th mission when he was shot down over Toulon, France. Captured by German ground troops, he endured imprisonment in Poland before his liberation by General George Patton’s U.S. Third Army.

Upon returning to Michigan, he became a Post Office Mail Carrier while earning his teaching certificate. He later earned a Master’s degree in Education from Wayne State University in 1953. Retiring from the Reserves in 1969 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he dedicated 31 years to the Detroit Public School System, retiring in 1979 as an assistant principal.

In recognition of his service, Jefferson was awarded the Purple heart in 2001 and, along with the Tuskegee Airmen, the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.

Alexander Jefferson passed away on June 22, 2022.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson is recognized on the Wall of Honor in the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

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