Col. George M. Boyd, a former Kansas Wing commander and Tuskegee Airman as well as Civil Air Patrol’s 2010 Senior Member of the Year, died Thursday. He was 91 and would have turned 92 Saturday.

“Col. Boyd’s passing represents a real loss to CAP, to the Tuskegee Airman, to the entire aviation community and to the nation,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, CAP national commander. “He served as a true ambassador for our organization, and we will all miss him deeply. Our entire organization’s condolences go to his family, especially his wife, Mattie, and all those who were privileged to know him.

Boyd joined Civil Air Patrol as a cadet in the New Jersey Wing’s North Bergen County Squadron and was a member from 1943-1944. He served as a cadet sergeant and taught new cadets how to drill.

He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps on Jan. 20, 1944, and went on to become a Tuskegee Airman. He also served during the Korean and Vietnam wars, became a radar intercept officer and helped protect fuel tanks for bombers in Tule, Greenland. He retired from the U.S. Air Force as a major.

Boyd rejoined CAP and went on to become Kansas Wing commander from February 2000-May 2004 after serving as deputy commander, chief of staff and executive officer. He also helped establish the Kansas State Department of Civil Air Patrol.

At the national level, he served as controller, as a member of the National Board and the National Executive Committee, and as Urban Programs adviser.

Boyd and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen were honored with a Congressional Gold Medal on March 29, 2007, for their service. Another Congressional Gold Medal recognized Boyd and his World War II CAP colleagues on Dec. 10, 2014.