Middle School To Be Renamed After Scotch Plains Hero Tuskegee Airman On Veteran's Day

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ — Scotch Plains-Fanwood Public Schools will celebrate Veteran’s Day with a ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. to rename Park Middle School as the Malcolm E. Nettingham Middle School.

Hometown hero Malcolm E. Nettingham was a member of World War II’s celebrated Tuskegee Airmen.

The event will begin indoors with a choir performance, guest speakers, and special presentations to honor Nettingham's legacy. The event will move outdoors for a ribbon-cutting in front of the new school signage.

In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, students have been participating in educational experiences to learn about the squadron of the nation’s first African-American military pilots who performed heroically during World War II and about Nettingham’s life.

The event will include performances by The Blue Notes choir, and a plaque dedication and tree planting for Nettingham's family.

The district also will announce the student winners of the middle school’s logo, mascot, and "I am proud to be a Nettingham student because..." essay contests. Students were encouraged to draw inspiration from Nettingham’s life and military service as they drafted their works of art.

Nettingham was a resident of Scotch Plains for almost a century and died at age 101 in September 2020. He graduated from Scotch Plains High School in 1936 and went on to serve with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, for military service and valor.

Nettingham's hometown honored him by making him the grand marshal of the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Memorial Day Parade in 2014. He also was inducted into the first Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Hall of Fame in 2015. In September 2021, the Board of Education passed a resolution to rename the middle school in his honor.

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