Rufus Billups
Rufus Lee Billups (born January 7, 1928 in Birmingham; died January 30, 1996) was a major general in the U.S. Air Force.
Billups was the son of Edward and Christine Sims Billups of Collegeville. He graduated from Parker High School and completed his bachelor of science at Tuskegee Institute in 1949. While in college, he was a member of the school's Reserve Officers' Training Corps, which trained with the 332nd Fighter Group (Tuskegee Airmen) at the Tuskegee Army Air Field. After graduating he was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the newly-created U.S. Air Force. He completed Air Tactical School at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida in 1950 and was briefly assigned to Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, California before beginning pilot training at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas.
During the Korean War, Billups was assigned to serve as a liaison officer to the U.S. Army at Busan and Incheon. Afterwards he was stationed at New Castle County Airport in Wilmington, Delaware as a transportation officer. He then enrolled in the Air Force Institute of Technology, completing a master's in business administration at the University of Colorado in Denver in 1957. That July he was assigned to the 7100h Transportation Squadron at Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden, Germany, then the headquarters of the U.S. Air Forces Europe. After four years there, he was transferred to the 803rd Transportation Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. He completed a transportation executing training course sponsored by the Hughes Air Craft Company in Culver City, California in 1964 before returning to Norton Air Force Base as a staff officer.
In 1968 Billups was appointed director of aerial port operations at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam. Over the next year he flew 56 combat missions. In September 1969 he was transferred to the headquarters of the U.S. European Command in Vaihingen, Germany, and then reported back to the Lindsey Air Station as director of transportation of U.S. Air Forces Europe. In 1973 he was put in command of the 12th Air Base Group at Randolph Air Force Base in Universal City, Texas. After a year he was posted to the Pentagon as deputy director of transportation in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics and Engineering at Air Force Headquarters.
In 1975 Billups was given command of the Defense General Supply Center (now the Defense Supply Center Richmond) in Richmond, Virginia. He implemented programs to overcome discriminatory practices in training and promoting workers which had led to a major class-action suit brought by systems analyst Lillie Mae Brown under the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972.
Billups was promoted to major general in 1978, with his "date of rank" backdated to 1974. He was also, during his career, awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, and other recognitions.
Billups returned to the Pentagon and served as director of logistics plans, programs and transportation until he retired in 1980, settling in New Orleans, Louisiana where his wife,the former Margaret "Tudley" Talton, lived. He continued to work as a special projects manager for Dravo Utility Constructors Inc. and later as a consultant for R. W. Management Services, and as head of his own firm.
Billups suffered a heart attack and died in 1996 at Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital. He was survived by his wife and three children: Eric, Robert and Geraldine. He was initially interred at New Orleans' Lake Lawn Park Mausoleum, and later moved to a family plot at the adjoining Metairie Cemetery.
References
- "Rufus L. Billups, general in the Air Force, dead at 68" obituary (unknown source, via Findagrave.com link)
- Moore, Leon (February 11, 2019) "Honoring Black History Month: Air Force Maj. Gen. Rufus Billups, first African-American DGSC commander." Defense Logistics Agency News
External links
- Major General Rufus L. Billups at af.mil
- MG Rufus L. Billups at Findagrave.com