Alfred Masters
*Alfred Masters was born on this date in 1916. He was a Black soldier.
He was born in Wewoka, Oklahoma, and earned a B.A. in education at Langston University. Masters was one of the first Black members of the American Marine Corps. At his swearing-in on June 1, 1942, in Oklahoma City, he had his first training camp at Montford Point in North Carolina. Masters rose to the rank of Technical Sergeant. Masters married Isabell Arch. They had three daughters; the marriage ended in divorce in the 1940s.
Masters married Mary Hendricks in 1949, and they had five children. He spent his post-military years teaching agriculture, working in labor-intensive occupations, and as an entrepreneur before returning to the land to farm his 200 acres in Vado, New Mexico.
Alfred Masters died in Anthony, New Mexico, on June 16, 1975. He is buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, Texas.
