Longtime Elgin teacher, former Tuskegee Airman dies at 96 Melvin Copeland of Elgin died last week at the age of 96. He served as a munitions specialist with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, marched with Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement and later taught in Elgin for 40 years. COURTESY OF CARLA KHAN Melvin Copeland of Elgin died last week at the age of 96. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 to fight in World War II, hoping to be a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen, but he was too tall for the cockpit, so he became a munitions specialist. After returning home, he went to college, later earned two master s degrees, taught in Elgin for 40 years before retiring and becoming a therapist and social worker for the state.