The major collection for this week at WorldVitalRecords.com is a compilation of yearbooks from the United States Military Academy West Point -Howitzer , (1921 – 1935, 1937 – 1960); United States Coast Guard Academy – Tide Rips Yearbook (1925, 1930, 1932 – 1933, 1935 – 1940, 1943 – 1956); United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point – Midships Yearbook (1945 – 1947, 1949 – 1950, 1952 – 1954, 1959); and the United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs – Polaris Yearbook (1959 – 1960).

Due to partnership agreements, these books will not be free for the first ten days. These yearbooks join others in our collection including the United States Naval Academy’s Lucky Bag Yearbook brought to you by our partnership with E-Yearbook.com.

This article focuses on distinguished alumni and the makings of the Howitzer. The other schools to join the collection also have distinguished alumni who pursued interesting and varied professions. We are honored to showcase this collection of distinguished individuals who began their careers with educational pursuits within the military’s academies.

How the Howitzer began:

Class photograph albums were first published during the Civil War. Class annuals were first published in 1884. Class yearbooks were first published in 1896. There was no issue in 1899 due to the Spanish American War. There were no issues in 1901, 1902, and 1903 due to a hazing scandal. However, photograph albums and pictures have been found for some of those missing years. Official yearbooks were re-introduced in 1904. There was no issue in 1918 (combined issue with 1917). There were two issues for the Classes of 1920, original (actually published in 1927) and redesignated. There were two issues for the Classes of 1921, original and redesignated. -John Greiman’s USMA Class of 1981 website http://www.west-point.org/greimanj/west_point/howitzer/index.html.

Distinguished alumni from years covered (1921-1935, 1936-1960) by the Howitzer’s collected on WorldVitalRecords.com include the following (listed by class year):

• Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor, Class of 1922, U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1955 – 1959) CJCS, 1962-1964. , World War II, U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam (1964-1965).
• Hoyt Vandenberg, Class of 1923, World War II
• Col. Mickey Marcus, Class of 1924 United States Army Colonel and Israeli Army Major General (Aluf)
• Gen. James Edward Moore, Class of 1924
• Demas T. CrawDemas T. Craw, Class of 1924, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• Otto L. NelsonOtto L. Nelson, Jr., Class of 1924, World War II
• James Edward MooreJames Edward Moore, Class of 1924, World War II
• Virgil R. Miller, Class of 1924. Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team442d Regimental Combat Team, World War II
• Leon William Johnson, Class of 1926, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• P.C. Hains. Class of 1924. 1928 Summer Olympics, modern pentathalon.
• Antulio Segarra, Class of 1927, World War II
• William H. Tunner, Class of 1928, Korean War, World War II
• Robert T. Frederick, Class of 1928, World War II
• Robert J. Fleming, Class of 1928, Governor of Panama Canal Zone (1962-67)
• Lt. Gen. James M. Gavin, Class of 1929, U.S. Ambassador to France (1961-62), World War II
• Frank Merrill, Class of 1929, World War II
• Paul D. Harkins, Class of 1929, Vietnam War
• Walter K. Wilson, Jr., Class of 1929, World War II
• Frederick Walker Castle, Class of 1930, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• William A. Carter, Class of 1930, Governor of Panama Canal Zone (1960-62)
• Frank Kowalski, Class of 1930, U.S. Representative from Connecticut.
• Gordon A. Blake, Class of 1931, World War II
• Marshall Carter, Class of 1931. Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (1962-1965) and Director of the National Security Agency (1965-1969).
• John P. McConnell, Class of 1932, World War II
• Earle G. Wheeler, Class of 1932. U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1962 – 1964), CJCS, 1964-1970.
• John P. McConnell, Class of 1932. 6th U.S.A.F. Chief of Staff (1965-1969)
• William E. Potter, Class of 1933, Governor of Panama Canal Zone (1956-60)
• Gen. Harold K. Johnson, Class of 1933 U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1964 – 1968)
• William Orlando Darby, Class of 1933, World War II
• Gen. Creighton Abrams, Class of 1936
• Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Class of 1936. Commander of Tuskegee Airmen, World War II
• Lt. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Class of 1936
• Joseph J. Nazzaro, Class of 1936, Vietnam War
• Bruce Palmer, Jr., Class of 1936. U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1972)
• Creighton Abrams, Class of 1936. U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1972 – 1974), Commanded the U.S. Army Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (1968 to 1972). Corps Chief of Staff, Korean War
• Gen. William Westmoreland, Class of 1936, U.S Army Chief of Staff (1968 – 1972),Time Magazine Man of the Year – 1965
• John Dale Ryan, Class of 1938. 7th U.S.A.F Chief of Staff (1969-1973), World War II
• Arthur F. Gorham, Class of 1938, First Commander of the 1/505th PIR, 82nd Airborne., World War II
• Robert George Cole, Class of 1939, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• Leon Robert Vance, Jr., Class of 1939. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• Andrew Goodpaster, Class of 1939. Supreme Allied Commander of NATO
• Donald V. Bennett, Class of 1940, World War II
• David Stuart Parker, Class of 1940, Governor of Panama Canal Zone (1971-75)
• Alexander Ramsey Nininger, Jr., Class of 1941. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• William T. Seawell, Class of 1941. Chairman & CEO Pan Am Airways (1971-1981)
• George S. Brown, U.S. Air Force, Class of 1941. CJCS, 1974-1978.
• Robert F. McDermott, Class of 1943. Former Chairman & CEO of United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
• Harold Parfitt, Class of 1943, Governor of Panama Canal Zone (1975-79)
• Gen. Rafael M. Ileto, Class of 1943
• Gen. Bernard W. Rogers, Class of 1943, U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1976 – 1979)Supreme Allied Commander of NATO
• Robert F. McDermott, Class of 1943. First Dean of Faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
• James Salter. Class of 1945. Screenwriter
• Hal Moore, Class of 1945. Author of We Were Soldiers Once…And Young, Commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment in the Ia Drang Valley (1965), Vietnam War
• William Atkinson Jones, III, Class of 1945. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• John D. Eisenhower, Class of 1945. U.S. Ambassador to Belgium (1969-1971).
• Lew Allen, Class of 1946. 10th U.S.A.F. Chief of Staff (1978-1982)
• Wesley Posvar, Class of 1946. Chancellor of University of Pittsburgh (1967-1991)
• Gen. Anastasio Somoza Debayle, Class of 1946, President of Nicaragua (1967-72, 1974-79)
• Rueben Pomerantz, Class of 1946. President of Holiday Inns of America (1969-1972).
• Gov. Warren E. Hearnes, Class of 1946
• John F. Donahue, Class of 1946. Founder and Chairman, Federated Investors $333+ Billion Dollar Management Firm.
• Warren E. Hearnes, Class of 1946. Governor of Missouri (1965-1973)
• George Patton IV, Class of 1946, Vietnam War
• Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, Class of 1947 National Security Advisor (1974-1977, 1989-1993) Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded in 1991.
• Gen. Alexander Haig, Class of 1947, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, U.S. Secretary of State (1981-1982)
• Doc Blanchard, Class of 1947. Heisman Trophy and Sullivan Award winner (1945).
• Glenn Woodward Davis, Class of 1947. Heisman Trophy winner (1946). Voted #13 in ABC’s “25 Greatest Players in College Football History.”
• Ralph Puckett, Class of 1949. Commander 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry (Airborne), 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam War; Commander of 8th Army Ranger Company, Korean War Samuel S. Coursen, Class of 1949. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• John G. Hayes, Class of 1949. President of Coca-Cola Bottling Company (1963).
  • John Wickham, Class of 1950. U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1983 – 1987)
  • Howard Hollis Callaway, Class of 1949, U.S. Representative, Georgia
  • Charles A. Gabriel, Class of 1950. 11th U.S.A.F. Chief of Staff (1982-1986)
  • John Michael Murphy, Class of 1950, U.S. Representative, New York
• Col. Frank Borman, Class of 1950, First to orbit the moon, Gemini 7, Apollo 8.Time Magazine Men of the Year – 1968, Appears on ten stamps of Haiti, Hungary, and Senegal, President Eastern Airlines (1975-1986).
• Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, Class of 1950, President of the Philippines (1992-1998), Appears on numerous Philippine Stamps since 1990s, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (1984-1988), Chief of Staff of the Philippine Military Contingent and Civil Action Group to Vietnam (1965-1968), Member of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea 20th Battalion Combat Team, Philippine Secretary of National Defense (1988-1991)
• Col. Buzz Aldrin, Class of 1951, Gemini 12, 2nd man to walk on Moon, Appears on foreign stamps
• Gen. Alexander HaigRoscoe Robinson, Jr., Class of 1951
• David Manker Abshire, Class of 1951. U.S. Ambassador to NATO (1983-1987)
• Edward C. Meyer, Class of 1951. U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1979 – 1983)
• Robert M. Isaac, Class of 1951. Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado (1979-1997)
• Richard Thomas Shea, Jr., Class of 1952. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• Michael Collins, Class of 1952, Gemini 10, Apollo 11, Command module pilot for first manned lunar landing, Congressional Space Medal of Honor Recipient.
• Lt. Col. Edward H. White, Class of 1952, Gemini 4, First American to walk in space; died in Apollo 1 spacecraft fire, Congressional Space Medal of Honor Recipient.
• Randolph V. Araskog, Class of 1953. President, Chairman, CEO of ITT Communications.
• Andre Cavaro Lucas, Class of 1954. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• David Scott, Class of 1954. Flew on Gemini 8, Apollo 9, and Apollo 15. Walked on the moon.
• John Galvin, Class of 1954, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, U.S. Ambassador to Bosnian Peace Negotiations
• Donald H. Peterson, Class of 1955. Flew on STS-6
• Alfred M. Worden, Class of 1955. Flew on Apollo 15
• Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., Class of 1956, Commander-in-Chief, Central Command, Operation Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War), Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
• John Block, Class of 1957 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1981-1986)
• Carl E. Vuono, Class of 1957. U.S. Army Chief of Staff (1987 – 1991)
• Dana Mead, Class of 1957. Chairman and CEO of Tenneco (1994-1999), Chairman of MIT Corporation (2003-present).
• Michael Dugan, Class of 1958. 13th U.S.A.F. Chief of Staff (1990)
• Humbert Roque Versace, Class of 1959. Congressional Medal of Honor recipient
• Brig. Gen. Pete Dawkins, Class of 1959, Heisman Trophy winner (1958), Chairman and CEO of Primerica Financial Services, Vice-Chairman and EVP of Travelers Insurance, Vice Chairman of Bain and Company, and currently Vice-Chairman of Citigroup Private Bank.
• Fred Malek, Class of 1959. Founder and Chairman of Alexander HaigThayer Capital Partners
• Frederick M. Franks, Jr., Class of 1959. Commander, VII Corps, Operation Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War)*

* Information for the alumni list was compiled from West Point Distinguished Alumni page on Wikipedia.com

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