Dr. Leonard Altemus 
A distinguished orthodontist and civil rights pioneer, Dr. Leonard Altemus graduated from Howard University’s College of Dentistry in 1950 and went on to lead its Department of Orthodontics. He earned a graduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Medicine in 1959, further advancing his clinical expertise.
During World War II, Dr. Altemus served with the Tuskegee Airmen—the U.S. Army Air Force’s renowned all-Black unit. In April 1945, he was among more than 100 Black officers who participated in a courageous act of protest to integrate the whites-only officers’ club at Freeman Field, Indiana. Arrested for refusing to comply with a segregation order, the group was later released. Their defiance became a landmark moment in the fight for racial justice within the U.S. military.
Dr. Leonard Altemus' obituary.
Image source: Penn Dental Medicine's Pennomenal: Founders & Firsts Book
