TULSA, Okla. — Two Booker T. Washington High School graduates were inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame Thursday.
The ceremony was filled with family and friends honoring the service and sacrifice of Brigadier General Roscoe Cartwright and Specialist Fourth Class Joe Thomas.
Before the special ceremony, the Cartwright family gathered at the Ellis Walker Woods Memorial at OSU Tulsa. They looked at photos and remembered the lasting impact and legacy of Brigadier General Roscoe Cartwright.
“He loved his community," said his granddaughter Bridget Cartwright Jones. "He loved where he was from. He loved his people. To him, he was just a Tulsa, Oklahoman
General Cartwright's family says he was larger than life. A man with an infectious laugh who helped any and everyone he could.
“He was dedicated to his job," said Bridget Cartwright Jones. "He was dedicated to duty. He was dedicated to commitment and professionalism.”
From a little boy in Tulsa, Oklahoma to the countless medals and honors he was awarded for her service in World War II and the Vietnam War, family members say he lived to make sure others could achieve.
“Every time that he got promoted, he took the next level as a challenge in how far can I go in this career but more importantly how many people can I help achieve the same thing," said Bridget Cartwright Jones.
Cartwright was one of the first black Brigadier Generals in the army. His family says his legacy continues through The Rocks Incorporated. It’s a mentoring group he helped start. It was named for him — Rock was his nickname — when he passed away in a commercial plane crash shortly after he retired from the military.
Booker T. Washington High School will also hang an honor/valor plaque to honor both Brigadier General Roscoe Cartwright and Specialist Fourth Class Joe Thomas.
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