William J. Hart

William J. Hart, 94, of Indianapolis passed away peacefully on Monday, January 8, 2018. Born on October 8, 1923, in Washington, C.H., Ohio, William was the son of the late Alonzo and Hattie Hart. After graduating from Washington, C. H., High School in 1941, William attended The Ohio State University briefly before joining the Army Air Corps in 1943 and serving as a DOTA Tuskegee Airman pilot. After the war, William married Mildred Buster in 1947 and settled in Wilmington, Ohio. While raising a family there, he worked for the Department of Defense at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio; at the Dayton Air Depot (aka Gentile and DESC); and in 1962, at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts. William retired from the Federal government in 1972 at age 49. While living in Westford, MA, he became an active member of the New England chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. Between 1973 and 1983, William and Mildred owned and operated Chelmsford Camera in Chelmsford, MA. At the time, their store was the only African-American owned camera store in the U. S., according to Eastman Kodak, which published their story in its trade paper. William, an avid reader and impassioned student of history and politics, earned his B. A. degree from Ohio University. In 1999, William and Mildred relocated to Indianapolis.

William is survived by his beloved wife, Mildred, of 70 years; daughter Christina Murray (William) of Indianapolis; son William B. (Eva) of Middlebury, Vermont; son James of Tipp City, Ohio; brother James of Newark, Ohio; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. William was predeceased by brother Robert and sisters Rosemary and Shirley. A celebration-of-life memorial service will be held at a future date.