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GU I D E to Y E L L OW S P R I NG S | 2O22 – 2O23 7 was the first African Ameri - can locksmith and logistics manager for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The two made the long commute because they could not find adequate housing for their families, or developers willing to build for African Americans. A HAVEN FOR BLACK FAMILIES Antioch professor and historian Kevin McGruder currently lives on Omar Circle and has interviewed many of the neighborhood’s original homeowners. According to McGruder, the neighborhood was a rare opportunity for Black families. “I do think that people saw it as an opportunity to realize their vision for a home in a place where they would be welcomed, rather than seen as threatening,” McGruder said. “I interviewed William and Thelma Ross a few years ago. Mr. Ross built a home in Rich- One of the nation’s few housing subdivisions built by an African American developer is nestled in a location that spans 21.2-acres and includes houses situated across the street from Yellow Springs High School, and just down the road from Gaunt Park. In 1953, Omar Anthony Robinson, a former Tuskegee Airman and electrical engineer working for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, purchased farm - land from a Black farmer named Leo Shorter. With loans secured from a bank in Richmond, Ind. — Rob - inson’s hometown, from which he made the long commute to work every day — the idea for Omar Park Estates, known to the community as Omar Circle, was born. A total of 58 houses were built in three phases over the course of 20 years. The first houses, including Robinson’s, were built along East Enon Road and West South College Street. In 1957, a second phase of housing was devel- oped, and a third phase, which began in 1961, was completed in the early 1970s. According to the booklet “Omar Park Estates Reunion, Circle of Love,” written about the families who first lived on Omar Circle and in commemo - ration of a 2016 Omar Circle reunion: “Robinson’s intention for the land was not only to build a residence for himself, but one that involved devel- oping the land and subdividing it for sale to other buyers, who like he, worked at Wright Patt, but could not find home ownership near the base because of being shut out of some communities.” Robinson and another future Omar Circle resident, William Ross, carpooled to the base from Richmond along back - roads that extended their drive to about 90 minutes, since U.S. Route 70 had not yet been constructed. Ross, a former combat engineer during WWII, OMAR ROBINSON’S CIRCLE OF LOVE By CHERYL DURGANS From April 2022 ▲ Omar Anthony Robinson, front, one of the Tuskegee Airmen during WW II. P H O T O : O M A R P A R K E S T A T E S Connect with the land. See what grows. WWW.AGRARIACENTER.ORG 937-767-2161 • INFO@AGRARIACENTER.ORG AGRARIA is a nonprofit working toward Bioregional Regeneration. We research, teach and demonstrate practices to restore the health of our soil, the diversity of our ecosystems and the resilience of our communities. Visit our farm for camps, workshops and gatherings for adults and children.