QUINCY — Brigadier General Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse II, a Roxbury native and one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, celebrated his 99th birthday Wednesday in Quincy, surrounded by longtime friends and fellow patriots — and a giant gingerbread cookie of himself.
Woodhouse was part of the Army Air Corps’ 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen, during World War II. He was among the first of the thousands of African American aviators and supply personnel in the armed forces.
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said he was there to thank Woodhouse for his service on behalf of the “City of Presidents.” He called Woodhouse a “true American hero” for wanting to serve despite barriers for Black men in the military.
“They broke a lot of barriers, but at the end of the day, they were part of the generation that saved the world,” Koch said. “That’s not hyperbole. World War II was a battle of good against evil, and if it weren’t for guys like Woody, who knows what would be happening today?”
Looking out at the bay, the group of 30 guests attending the celebration at Victory Point Restaurant awaited Woodhouse’s arrival. As he strolled in with his wife, Stella, he shouted greetings and hugged his friends.
“Command, I’m waiting for your honors,” Woodhouse called out.
The cities of Quincy and Boston both proclaimed Jan. 14 as Brigadier General Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse II Day. Beth Veneto of Ginger Betty’s Bakery surprised him with a giant gingerbread man, vibrantly adorned with a US Army hat and frosting medals on his uniform.
William Gross, who made history as Boston’s first Black police commissioner, joked that when he first met Woodhouse, he asked, “Did you play dodgeball with Jesus?”
Gross went on to commend Woodhouse for his perseverance that allowed future generations of Black Americans to break more glass ceilings, adding that Woodhouse “made me the first Black chief, the first Black commissioner.”
“You paved the way so people could exercise their First Amendment rights,” Gross told Woodhouse. “When you still came back [from the war] to a segregated America, you continued to educate people about what it means to be a human being.”
George Rollins, a retired US Army colonel living in Wilmington, is part of Mission Hill Post 327 with Woodhouse, and they have been friends for nine years. Rollins joked about Woodhouse’s long-windedness. But Rollins had a Rolodex of stories to share from the general’s life, such as the time he took a break from classes at Yale University to listen to Thurgood Marshall as the chief counsel for the NAACP in the Brown v. Board of Education case.
Michael Wabrek, 60, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps, has been Woodhouse’s “protector, but also best friend and roommate” for over 30 years, despite their nearly-40-year age gap. Wabrek travels with Woodhouse and takes care of his needs for public appearances.
“We really yuk it up,” Wabrek said, noting Woodhouse’s “infectious laugh” as he watched the general mingling across the room.
Woodhouse is a “golden lion,” Wabrek said. When Woodhouse receives accolades, he added, he is representative of the airmen who ”did not make it this far."
“When kids and other people meet him, they’re awestruck,” Wabrek said, tearing up. “To stand 10 to 15 feet in the back and see the sheer reaction and human interaction that he has with people ... that’s my reward, just to witness and help that.”
Looking back on his 99 years, Woodhouse said he is proud of himself for “sticking through and being persistent” as a person of color in a segregated military.
He said his best advice for younger generations is to not seek revenge but to survive, which is how he overcame racial discrimination and achieved high military honors. He hopes to be remembered as, simply, a nice person.
“When they shut the box down on me, all I can say is I did my best,” Woodhouse said. “I tried to be the best husband, father, and grandfather and the best friend of anybody, that’s all, and then I’ll see you in heaven.”
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