Robert P. Madison |

Robert Madison at time of his service, Italy | World War II, 1939-1946
Army
370th Regimental Combat Team, 92nd Infantry Division
Howard University, Washington, DC; Fort Meade, Maryland; Camp Croft, South Carolina; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Huachuca, Arizona; Gallicano, Italy
First Lieutenant
Cleveland, OH
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An architecture student at Howard University on December 7, 1941, Robert Madison was also a member of ROTC. That allowed him to serve in the Army as an officer, but his rank didn't shield him from experiencing discrimination; he and his fellow black officers were segregated from the white officers. One benefit of his serving in Italy was to further his education in architecture. He was wounded while driving a jeep in December 1944, and a subsequent bout with tonsillitis shortened his service in the field. Lacking the points to go home when the war ended, Madison pulled various Occupations duties until May 1946. Back home in Cleveland, he experienced outright prejudice when trying to further his education in architecture, but he persevered and eventually opened a minority-based firm, the first in Ohio.
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