|
 |
 |
By his daughter, Susan (read at his memorial service June 1, 2006)
I think you can tell a lot about a person by knowing what they are most proud of. So last night when I was writing what I wanted to share with you today, I considered what Dad was really proud of in his life. I can up with a few things he would tell you he felt really good about.
Dad took great pride in his service to his country during World War II. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 at the age of seventeen and was trained as a navigator of a B-29 Bomber. He flew 22 missions* in the Pacific against Japan and was decorated with among other honors two Air Medals*. He left the service in April of 1946* as a First Lieutenant and remained in contact with his fellow crewmembers for the rest of his life. Of the ten men who flew with dad only four are alive today.
Dad saw Mom, who he had known from the neighborhood, walking down Culver Road one day in 1945. They stopped to talk and the rest is as they say is history. They were married for fifty-six years. I heard him telling several people about his long marriage in the last weeks of his life.
Dad earned a degree in education from the University of Rochester and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1950 with the help of the GI Bill. Education was extremely important to him and he impressed that upon my brothers and myself as we were growing up.
In 1952 he started working for Eastman Kodak Company. For most of his more than thirty year career he was the Director of Business and Technical Employment. He took pride in finding and hiring good people. He was a hard worker and expected the same from those who worked for him.
Dad was very happy that my brothers and myself all graduated from college and became productive adults. In his later years he was excited to have four grandchildren and took pride in their growth and accomplishments.
Dad very much exemplified the men of his generation. He spent his youth involved in one of the greatest struggles the world has ever known and then came home to enjoy peace, prosperity and his piece of the American dream.
| Webmaster's Note: * denotes correction made for historical accuracy, based on 39th BG (VH) Association archives. |