 According to a 2001 presentation which won top prize at a National History Day competition, an 18-year-old Topeka High School student John Freeman wrote that the Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black military pilots, helped lay the groundwork for the civil rights movement. The most prestigious award of the association of Tuskegee Airmen which is presented at the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. annual convention, was named' the Brigadier General Noel F. Parrish Award ' in his honor. For many years the award was presented in person by his widow, Florence. In recognition Mrs. Parrish received the General Daniel James Jr. Distinguished Service / Achievement / Leadership Award at the 2010 convention.
