Lois Towles

Lois Towles
A portrait of an African-American woman with an elaborate hair bun wearing a braided choker necklace and a v-necked top.
Towles in 1947
Born
Lois Bernard Towles

(1912-04-04)April 4, 1912
Texarkana, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 1983(1983-03-18) (aged 70)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesLois Caesar, Lois Towles Caesar, Lois Towles McNeely
Occupation(s)pianist, music educator, community activist
Years active1933–1983

Lois Towles (April 4, 1912 – March 18, 1983) was an American classical pianist, music educator, and community activist. Born in Texarkana, Arkansas, she grew up in the town straddling the Arkansas and Texas line. From an early age, she was interested in music and began piano lessons at age 9. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, she obtained a bachelor's degree from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, and worked as a high school teacher from 1936 to 1941. In 1942, Towles enrolled in the University of Iowa and earned two master's degrees in 1943. She went on to further her education at Juilliard, the University of California, Berkeley, the Conservatoire de Paris, and the American Conservatory at Fountainebleau.

From 1943 to 1952, Towles was an assistant professor of music at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. She had a distinguished performance career from her debut in 1947 until her retirement in 1966. From 1949 to 1955, she lived between Paris and the United States, traveling between the continents for recitals and modeling engagements. She and her sister, Dorothea Towles Church, became some of the first African-American models to gain an international reputation and Towles was featured in both Ebony and Jet. In 1956, Towles married Richard C. Caesar, a retired combat fighter pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen, San Francisco philanthropist/civic leader, and prominent dentist.[1] He was a member of Tuskegee's sixth cadet graduating class and one of the first 50 African American combat fighter pilots in history.[2] He was notable for being the Arkansas's second-ever African American combat fighter pilot.[3][4] He is also notable for saving decorated Tuskegee Airman Roscoe Brown from a potentially fatal aircraft crash.[5]

Limiting her touring time after her marriage, as Lois Caesar, she became noted for her community activism, focused on women's and children's issues.

  1. ^ ABC 7. "Tuskegee Airman laid to rest in San Mateo." By ABC7. December 30, 2011. https://abc7news.com/archive/8484247/
  2. ^ "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. ^ Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "Original Tuskegee Airmen." https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/original-tuskegee-airmen-5430/
  4. ^ My San Antonio. "WAYNE WRIGHT: MILITARY MATTERS: Tuskegee Airmen: A Cut Above." Wayne Wright. October 7, 2014. https://blog.mysanantonio.com/military-matters/2014/10/tuskegee-airmen-a-cut-above/
  5. ^ Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "Original Tuskegee Airmen." https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/original-tuskegee-airmen-5430/