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Airman First Class (Air Force), Lieutenant Commander (Navy) Orville E. Pitts

A young African American man smiling in his Air Force uniform.
  • Unit: 664th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron
  • Date of Birth: April 20, 1933
  • Entered the Military: August 20, 1951
  • Date of Death: March 25, 2015
  • Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Place of Death: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Award(s): Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal
  • Cemetery: section O, grave 231. Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Union Grove, Wisconsin
Contributed by Vincent Balzrina, Henry Berenz, DeAndre’ Hatch, Jr., and Oliver Whelan
Mentored by Mrs. Lalitha Murali
Glen Hills Middle School
2024/2025

Early Life

Orville E. Pitts was born on April 20, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His parents were Alto Lee Pitts and Mattie Mae Pitts. His mother, Mattie Mae Pitts, was born in Mississippi, and his father, Alto Lee Pitts  was born in Alabama. Alto Lee Pitts, Sr. owned a window cleaning company. Orville Pitts grew up with four brothers (Donald, Terrance, Alto, Jr., and Ronald) and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1951. 

Orville Pitts was a boxing prodigy. He represented the Urban League Gym and won two bouts in the 1947 Golden Gloves Tournament at the age of 13. In 1950, he won the state Golden Gloves Championship and went to the quarterfinals of the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Chicago. He went to the semi-finals in 1952, and in 1954, he won the 175-pound national Golden Gloves Title at Chicago Stadium along with the All-Services Light Heavyweight Championship. One year later, he dropped down to 165 pounds and won the Pan-American Games Championship.

The Pitts family, living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1950. National Archives and Records Administration.
A photograph of Orville Pitts as a young man. Courtesy of Kim Bryant.

Homefront

World War II

Orville E. Pitts’s hometown was Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  When America entered World War II, Milwaukee was in a good position to aid the war effort. The African American population increased after World War II and almost doubled in ten years. Women filled many critical manufacturing roles during and after the war. During the war, Black workers were paid less than White workers. As the labor short supply tightened and corporate profits skyrocketed, workers demanded raises. Workers went on strike and won concessions from employers.

World War II also changed family life in the city. People had a hard time finding adequate housing. Many families moved in with friends and relatives or crammed into small rental rooms or trailer camps without water and electricity. This caused the Milwaukee County government to provide toilets, showers, and washing machines. Over 12,000 people volunteered for civil defense work acting as air raid wardens.  After the war, people celebrated the victory that Milwaukeeans helped secure. 

Korean War

During the Korean War Camp McCoy, near Sparta, Wisconsin, played a critical role in training and preparing soldiers for the war. On August 9, 1950 Camp McCoy was activated with the potential to accommodate up to 27,000 troops. It was deactivated on April 1, 1953. 

The Badger Army Ammunition Plant in Sauk County, Wisconsin, opened in 1941 to handle the demands of World War II. Its workforce peaked at 6,600, operating around the clock for three years. By 1945, the ordinance staff had been reduced to around 100 workers. The plant closed shortly after the war ended, but was reactivated in February 1951 with the Korean Conflict. About 5,000 workers were called back and hired to produce smokeless and rocket powder. Near the end of this war, a new section was built to produce ball powder. During this time, the plant produced about 286 million pounds of propellant. Operations at the plant stopped by 1958, and it was reactivated 1966, to produce ammunition for the Vietnam War.

Bronzeville

Milwaukee’s Black population increased from 1940 to 1950 and tripled by 1960 with over 62,000 Black residents. By the end of the Great Migration in 1970, over 105,000 Black people lived in the city.  In the 1950s, Milwaukee’s Black citizens had built a thriving entertainment district known as Bronzeville. Milwaukee had the highest per capita Black business ownership rate in the country. Unfortunately, Bronzeville was demolished by the city’s urban renewal efforts later.

Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport

The Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport, a county-owned public use airport in Wisconsin, opened in 1948 in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.  It is the fourth busiest of eight commercial service airports in the state in terms of passengers served. 

Sports

Milwaukee formed his own major league baseball team in 1953. Since 1902, one of the most beloved minor league teams in the country has been the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee County Stadium was built in 1950. In 1953, the Boston Braves announced that they would move to the city. The opening season broke a national league attendance record. The Braves won the World Series in 1957 and the National League pennant the following year. They then lost momentum and the team left for Atlanta in 1965. 

Major League baseball returned to Milwaukee in 1970 when the Seattle Pilots moved to the city and changed their name to the Brewers. Miller Park Stadium, where they play today, opened in 2001.

Mitchell Street in Wisconsin, 1950s. Courtesy of On Milwaukee.
Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1950s. Courtesy of On Milwaukee.
Three shoppers walking near 12th and Walnut Streets in the Bronzeville section of Milwaukee, 1958. Historic Photo Collection, Milwaukee Public Library.

Military Experience

Orville E. Pitts enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on August 20, 1951. He attended School at F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming then Crypto School at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. He was assigned to Wright Patterson Base in Cleveland, Ohio. He worked as an Airman First Class Senior Cryptographic Operator in the 664th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron. He was discharged from the Air Force on June 16, 1955. He did not fight in the Korean War, but received the Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal for his services.

Later he re-joined the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer in the reserves, serving until September 1, 1973. In the 1980s, he returned to the United States Naval Reserve, serving as a mortuary affairs officer and was promoted to lieutenant commander.

Orville Pitts wearing his military uniform. Courtesy of Kim Bryant.
The administrative building at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Library of Congress (oh1665).
An excerpt from a newspaper column describing Pitts’s involvement in boxing while serving in the military, Wisconsin State Journal, February 16, 1954.

Veteran Experience

While still serving in uniform, Pitts married Barbara Knuth in 1952.

Orville Pitts’s mother wanted him to become a lawyer. After his military service, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and joined their boxing team. In 1956, Pitts won the NCAA National Championship and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in San Francisco. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1962 and moved to Washington, D.C. There he served on the U.S. Capitol police force and earned his law degree from American University in 1965. 

He returned to Milwaukee and became a licensed funeral director in 1967. He opened Pitts Funeral Home in Milwaukee with his father and brother.

He was elected to the position of Alderman, serving on the Common Council, in 1968. He was the second African American to serve on the council. In 1972, he joined the Republican Party and became a prominent Black spokesperson for the re-election of President Richard M. Nixon. After two terms, he left the Common Council and became a family court commissioner and a Democrat again. 

In 1982, he ran for the Democratic nomination for the 5th Congressional District, but lost. Soon after, he lost his court commissioner job due to frequent absences from work and issues with substance abuse. 

Orville E. Pitts as a boxer. Courtesy of Kim Bryant.
Orville Pitts receiving award for his boxing. Courtesy of Kim Bryant.
Orville Pitts as a Veteran. Courtesy of Kim Bryant.

Commemoration

Orville Pitts died on March 25, 2015. He was survived by his children Denisse, Darryl, Kim, and Megan. He is buried at the Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Union Grove, Wisconsin.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

Bryant, Kim.  Telephone interview with the authors. December 9, 2024.

Businesses on 12th and Walnut. Photograph. 1958. Historic Photo Collection, Milwaukee Public Library. https://content.mpl.org/digital/collection/HstoricPho/id/7618. 

Orville Pitts, DD-214, Department of the Army. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Orville E. Pitts. U. S. Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Vol. 1. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Orville E. Pitts. U.S. Veterans’ Gravesites, ca.1775-2019. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Orville E. Pitts. Wisconsin Marriage Records 1979-1997. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Orville Edwin Pitts. Wisconsin, U.S. Marriage Index, 1973-1997. Digital images.  https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Orville E. Pitts. U.S. Select Military Registers, 1862-1985. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Orville E. Pitts. Wisconsin, U.S. Employment Records, 1903-1988. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com.

Pitts Family Photographs. 1943-1955. Courtesy of Kim Bryant.

Wisconsin. Milwaukee County. 1950 U.S. Federal Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclasroom.com.

Wisconsin. Milwaukee County. 1940 U.S. Federal Census. Digital images. http://ancestryclassroom.com.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Area B, Building 11, Administration Building No. 1, B Street from Third to Fifth Streets, Dayton, Montgomery County, OH. Photograph. Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress (oh1665). https://www.loc.gov/item/oh1665/. 

Secondary Sources

“10 views of 1950s Milwaukee.” On Milwaukee. Accessed February 27, 2025. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/10-downtown-1950s-pics. 

“Badger Army Ammunition Plant Historical Overview 1941-2006 “. U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command, Rock Island, IL. Accessed on February 27, 2025. https://www.jmc.army.mil/Docs/History/Badger%20Army%20Ammunition%20Plant%20-%20V3%20Internet.pdf. 

Ehrmann, Pete. “Former alderman, boxing champ Orville Pitts passes away.” On Milwaukee [Milwaukee, WI], March 27, 2015. https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/orvillepitts. 

Glauber, Bill. “Orville Pitts remembered for political rise-and fall.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee, WI], April 1, 2015. https://archive.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/orville-pitts-remembered-for-political-rise–and-fall-b99473396z1-298383951.html/.

“Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport Becomes the First in the World to Obtain AWS Certification.” WMEP Manufacturing Solutions.  Accessed on February 27, 2025. https://wmep.org/case-study/green-bay-austin-straubel-international-airport-becomes-the-first-in-the-world-to-obtain-aws-certification/.

“History.” City of Milwaukee. Accessed November 1, 2024. https://city.milwaukee.gov/Bronzeville/History. 

Jackson, Reggie. “The Impact of Deindustrialization on Milwaukee’s Inner City”.  The Milwaukee Independent (Milwaukee, WI), April 16, 2019. https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/featured/reggie-jackson-impact-deindustrialization-milwaukees-inner-city/.

McCormick, Henry J. “Playing the Game.” Wisconsin State Journal [Madison, WI], February 16, 1954. Newspapers.com (396752747). 

“Milwaukee History—History Comes to Life.”  Milwaukee Historical Society.  Accessed on November 1, 2024. https://milwaukeehistory.net/education/milwaukee-timeline/. 

“Orville E. Pitts.” Find a Grave. Accessed November 29, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144254657/orville-e-pitts.

“Orville E. Pitts.” Krause Funeral Homes and Cremation Services. Accessed October 22, 2024. https://krausefuneralhome.com/obituary/orville-e-pitts/. 

“Orville E. Pitts.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 29, 2015. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/jsonline/name/orville-pitts-obituary?id=3277090. 

“Orville Pitts, Multi-Talented Milwaukee Alderman, Passes at 81”. Milwaukeecourieronline.com (Milwaukee, WI), April 04, 2015. https://milwaukeecourieronline.com/index.php/2015/04/04/orville-pitts-multi-talented-milwaukee-alderman-passes-at-81/.

“Orville E. Pitts.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed February 26, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/ORVILLEEPITTS/8af793. 

“Petition for Hearing on Alleged Discrimination at Lincoln High School.” Petition. March 29, 1951. Children in Urban America Project, Marquette University. https://www.marquette.edu/cgi-bin/cuap/db.cgi?uid=default&ID=4657&view=Search&mh=1.

“Recalling History at Camp McCoy During the Korean War, 1950-53”. Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.  Accessed on February 27, 2025. https://www.dvidshub.net/news/457416/recalling-history-camp-mccoy-during-korean-war-1950-53.

“Wartime Milwaukee.” Encyclopedia of Milwaukee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Accessed November 1, 2024. https://emke.uwm.edu/entry/wartime-milwaukee/.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.