College after World War II, Tom Oxendine
'48 wore a flight jacket and the distinction of
being the first American Indian Navy pilot.
He had already earned the Distinguished
Flying Cross.
A Pembroke native, Oxendine died on
Thursday, May 27, at his home in Arlington,
Oxendine and Georgia Rae Maynor Oxendine.
Oxendine is survived by his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth Moody
Oxendine; two sons, Thomas of Lexington, Va., and Robert of Tampa,
Fla.; four brothers, Robert of Lyman, S.C., Louis of Pembroke, (Chancellor
Emeritus) Joe of Pinehurst, N.C, and Ray of Maxton, N.C.; two sisters,
Magnolia Lowry of Pembroke and Ruth Hurnevich of Hazel Park, Mich. He
was preceded in death by a son, William, and a brother, Earl Hughes.
Oxendine joined the U.S. Naval Air Corps in January 1942 and
completed flight school. Before enlisting, he had learned to fly in
Lumberton, N.C., at Horace Barnes' flying school.
As a navy pilot, Oxendine took part in 33 battles during WW II and
received numerous awards and medals. On July 26, 1944, he defied radio
communications and landed his seaplane under Japanese gunfire and in
adverse weather to rescue a downed airman. For this, Oxendine received
the Distinguished Flying Cross.
In college, Oxendine stood out as a three-sport star and played on the
heralded football teams. After graduation, Oxendine returned to serve in the
jet age as a fighter pilot and flight instructor in the Korean and Vietnamese
wars.
During his Navy career, he test piloted a carrier aircraft and was a
combat flight instructor for the supersonic F8V Crusader. While stationed
on the U.S.S. Midway, Tom recorded 177 landings at sea.
Oxendine retired from the military after 29 years and became chief
of public affairs for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C.,
a position he held for 16 years. For the past 15 years he served as a
consultant for American Indians and Alaska Natives with the EOP Group.
Despite never gaining the same attention as the Tuskegee airmen,
Oxendine earned many honors. He was the University's first "Distinguished
Alumnus" in 1967 and was inducted with the first class in the Athletic Hall
of Fame in 1980.
He is cited in the textbook "North Carolina: Social Studies for a
Changing World." Published by McGraw Hill in 1993, the text was
required reading for fourth grade students in North Carolina.
In 2003, he was recognized by the North Carolina Museum of History
as one of the state's "Pioneers in Aviation."
At home, he was a hero, and in the 1950s and 60s, Oxendine made
flyovers of the Town of Pembroke in Navy jets. It was a signal to young
Lumbees that the sky is the limit.
Through the years, Oxendine was a frequent visitor to Pembroke and
UNCP. He attended homecoming activities in 2009.
Memorials may be made to the American Indian, ROTC, football,
basketball or baseball scholarships at the University.
May 28 in her home in Pembroke surrounded by
her family, friends and caregivers.
She was the daughter of the late William
Henry and Crossie Maynor Lowry. Pinchbeck
was married to the late Walter J. Pinchbeck,
UNCP's long-time superintendent of buildings
and grounds.
The Pinchbecks had six children, four of
whom were born on UNCP's campus. She was
a mother figure to hundreds of college students
and Boy Scouts in her husband's Troop 327.
Walter Pinchbeck, a Cree Indian, was a
national figure in Boy Scouting. In 2004, UNCP
put his name on the new Walter J. Pinchbeck
Maintenance Building.
In 2007, Bertha Pinchbeck was affectionately
named "The Mother of Boy Scouting for the
Pembroke Boy Scout Troop 327."
Pinchbeck was preceded in death by her
husband; two sons, William Henry "Buddy"
Pinchbeck and Francis Pinchbeck; a grandson,
Mark Schrader, and a daughter-in-law, Sylvia
Pinchbeck. Three siblings preceded her: Lockie
Lowry Deese, Seavie Lowry and James Lee
Lowry.
Pinchbeck is survived by a son, Walter
Pinchbeck Jr. of Louisville, Ky., three daughters,
Mary Alice Teets '58, and husband, Edward, both
of Pembroke; Sandra Bond and husband William
Richard, both of Titusville, Fla., and Helena
Williams and husband Ron, both of Beaufort,
S.C. She has 20 grandchildren and 21 great-
grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Boy Scout Troop
327 of Pembroke.
Oxendine passed away on
May 27
University
figure,
Bertha
Pinchbeck,
died
May 28