East Hampton Hero Airman Honored At Juneteenth Ceremony

EAST HAMPTON, NY — East Hampton Town officials celebrated Juneteenth with an event honoring the late Lt. Lee A. Hayes, a resident and World War II Tuskegee airman, officials said.

The event took place at the Lt. Lee A. Hayes Youth Park Saturday, according to town officials.

Hayes, a Tuskegee airman for whom the park was recently named, was one of the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps, helped to break the "color barrier" in the previously segregated U.S. military, the town said.

One of 13 siblings whose extended family put down roots in the vicinity of the park, an area that
came to be known as “Hayesville,” Lt. Hayes encountered the barrier once again following
his military service when he sought work, unsuccessfully, as a commercial airline pilot, the town said.

He worked as a custodian at the Brookhaven National Lab, as a carpenter, and as the first Black U.S. Postal Service employee in East Hampton. He served his community as a charter member of the Calvary Baptist Church, and as a Democratic committeeman who advocated for the hiring of the first African-American poll watcher, a biography released by East Hampton Town said.

He walked often to the American Legion in Amagansett, passing the park now bearing his name,
before passing away in 2013, many remembered.

At the event, a plaque was unveiled in honor of Lt. Hayes, as well as a kiosk featuring historical information. Members of the Hayes family who gathered for the event participated in a “Walk in the Path of an American Hero” from the Legion Hall to the park. Led by a Color Guard, the walk included members of the Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club, the town said.

A program at the park included family memories song, and remarks by East Hampton
Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and Congresswoman Stacy Plaskett (D- USVI), a Hayes
family friend.

“Just as Juneteenth, a new federal holiday, focuses important attention on the history of African Americans in our country and celebrates the end of slavery, I am pleased that our youth park in East Hampton will now offer an opportunity to learn about the contributions of members of our
African-American community, such as Lt. Hayes and the Hayes family,” said Van Scoyoc.