As another Memorial Day rolls around, it becomes even more meaningful as more participants of World War II—the event that shaped them, their descendants, and the globe arguably more than any other—pass on.

These battle-harden veterans exchanged their uniforms for civilian dress and became the cornerstone of Black communities across America; paving the way for Civil Rights triumphs later in the century. Freeman Gamble Sr. was one of those men.

Pictured are a group of students from Foshay Learning Center’s Team 597, the “Wolverines” after their win at the 2010 International FIRST Robotics Competition. The 25 member team built and programmed a robot to perform certain tasks against competitor’s machines and the Wolverines emerged victorious receiving the Industrial Safety Award, and were also recognized for their service to the community.