Madison was born in Cleveland and grew up with three brothers, Julian, Bernard,
and Stanley, sons of a civil engineer, Robert senior, and a mother, Nettie, who
encouraged their sons from the start of their lives to pursue professional degrees.
In the documentary film, Madison says his mother “had the scheme” for him to be
an architect when he was in first grade.
Not long after Madison was born, Robert Sr. took a job teaching chemistry at
Selma University in Alabama for several years, then moved on to Columbia, South
Carolina, then Washington D.C.
When the Great Depression hit, the family suffered like most Americans,
primarily because the engineering firms for which the father was eminently qualified
refused to hire blacks. “Dad was overqualified, as a matter of fact,” says Madison.
The family eventually returned to Cleveland, where Bob graduated from East
Technical High School.
Having been prodded by his parents, he was studying architecture at Howard
University in Washington when the U.S. entered World War II. Being a ROTC cadet,
he was in uniform by 1943, training at Fort Benning at Columbus, Georgia, then
Fort Huachuca, near Tucson, Arizona. He graduated as a second lieutenant.
“All officers above the rank of first lieutenant were white because no white man
would salute a black man.” Army policy.
36 SPRING 2019 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
The
Sch eme
When the Great Depression hit, the family
suffered like most Americans, primarily because
the engineering firms for which the father was
eminently qualified refused to hire blacks.
First Lieutenant Robert P. Madison,
Italy, 1944.
/WWW.SHAKER.LIFE