Continuing on with our blog posts on Austin College’s military past, it is suitable to discuss some of the Austin College students who gave their lives to fight for Americans’ liberties during the world wars (some of these former students graduated from the college, while others did not). They all died with honor and make up an essential piece of the college’s vibrant history. Several of these fallen heroes from WWI and WWII are depicted below (photographs are of these subjects as either students at AC or in military uniform).
Charles Ignatius Coffin– Coffin, a 1915 graduate of the college who was an active member of the Philennoian Literary Society and vice president of the Senior Club, was killed in action during a shelling at Soissons, France on July 19, 1918. Beloved by many friends and colleagues, Coffin was laid to rest in France in a well-marked grave and was given full military honors by his troop.
John Morgan Currie– Currie was one of several Austin College students who left the campus to fight during WWI. While he was at Camp Leon Springs in Texas training to be a army officer, the college granted his A.B. degree in absentee with his class in 1917. At Austin College, Currie was known as one of the best football players in Kangaroo history, in addition to be president of the A-Association and a student judge on the Kangaroo conduct court. Currie was one of the last American soldiers sent to France during the first World War, was wounded several times, and awarded the Croix de Guerre from the French government before he was killed on September 12, 1918.
Robert Lee Crim– Crim attended Austin College from 1912-1914 and was part of the school’s newspaper crew before enlisting in the U.S. Army (he never graduated from Austin College). Prior to being shipped to France, he trained at Camp Bowie, a military outpost outside Brownwood. Crim was killed during the night hours on October 9, 1918 outside of Somme-Py, France, during a shell bombardment of the Allied front lines. It is believed that he was hastily buried where he had died.
Robert C. Drummond– Drummond was another student who attended the college, however, never graduated as he enlisted in the army during the latter-half of the First World War (attended from 1911-1913). He trained at Camp Davis in Texas before he was sent to France in early August 1918, shortly prior to the end of the war. There he was either killed or captured on September 26, 1918. No evidence suggests the precise cause of death. Drummond had earned the rank of Battalion Sergeant Major before his death.
Herbert Franklin Wager– Wager graduated from Austin College in 1915 in hopes of working in foreign missions. Two years later, he graduated from seminary and joined the 322nd Sanitary Train, 97th Division at Camp Cody in New Mexico. Wager died of influenza during his training on December 14, 1918, shortly after the war in Europe ended. He was brought home to Sherman for burial services, which were conducted by Austin College President Thomas S. Clyce in front of a large crowd of loved ones and former colleagues at the Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Eugene Meek Ellison– Ellison was one of the top students in his 1916 Austin College class. The elected president of the Y.M.C.A. and a debate winner, Ellison won the hearts of many colleagues and faculty. After his undergraduate studies, Ellison earned a master’s degree in English from the college in 1917. He trained to fight at Camp Leon Springs before being sent to France, where he was killed 50 yards from the enemy line at Berzy-le-sec on July 20, 1918. At age 24 years, he was hastily buried where he died.
Gordon Felix Gaither, Jr.– Gaither’s success story at Austin College included graduating with distinction in 1914 and becoming a prominent member of the Alumni Committee. Unfortunately, bad luck ran it’s course and Gaither fell ill with influenza, dying at Camp Pike in Arkansas on October 12, 1918, shortly prior to the end of WWI.
Jack Boggs Bidwell– Bidwell, a native of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, was very active at Austin College. His involvement included membership in the National Scholarship Society, International Relations Club, Student Council, track and basketball teams, and the football manager. During his senior year, Bidwell was president of his graduating class and the recipient of the Stephen F. Austin Fellowship in History. He graduated with his B.A. in May 1943 before enlisting in the army. However, Bidwell was never shipped to Europe to fight during the Second World War as he died from heat prostration at Camp Wallace on August 18, 1943.
George W. Firor– Firor had a interest in joining the military since a young age, however, was persuaded by family and friends to first attend Austin College. In the first semester, he was on the football team and took a leading role in all the activities of the Slime Association, the organization of freshman men. His successes at Austin College was cut short, as Firor, after only one semester in Sherman, enlisted in the army shortly after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 21, 1944, Firor was killed during the Battle of the Belgian Bulge. He would posthumously be awarded the Purple Heart for his valiant efforts during the fight. Moreover, Austin College presented his degree to his mother in the 1946 commencement ceremonies.
Elery George Cross– Cross, originally from Greenville, enrolled in Austin College in the 1933 fall semester. At the college, he was the football manager and a track champion. After graduating with his undergraduate degree in 1937, Cross then earned his master’s degree from St. Edwards University in 1938. He was inducted into the U.S. Air Corps on February 14, 1940, and sequentially attached to the U.S. Embassy in London acting as a military observer for the federal government. After his marriage in August 1941, Cross’s plane crashed near Palm Springs, California on November 13, 1941. His body was returned to Greenville, where it briefly stopped in Sherman.
Harold Hester– Hester was active during his time at Austin College, participating in the band, basketball and tennis teams, in addition to being the president of his sophomore class and a member of the coveted Pre-Medical Society. He also married his sweetheart, Evelyn Welborn, in college. Hester graduated with his B.A. degree in 1940 before enlisting in the United States Navy at the height of the Second World War. On January 8, 1943, Hester went to advanced submarine school in New London, CT, and took first honors in a class of 350 students. Thereafter, he was assigned to be the captain of Submarine S-28. The submarine, along with it’s crew, was lost at sea on July 4, 1944.
Gordon Duggan McDaniel– McDaniel, a Denison native, entered Austin College in 1933 as a pre-law student. He was highly-involved in campus affairs as he became the assistant director of the Kangaroo, the college’s student-published newspaper. After graduating from Austin College in 1937, McDaniel attended Texas University (in Austin) and received his law degree with distinction in 1938. For four years, he worked as a attorney at the law firm of Campbell, Myer, and Eastham in Houston. After the Pearl Harbor attack, McDaniel enlisted and was sworn into the Naval Reserve on January 1, 1942, and received his wings (and commissioned at Corpus Christi) in November 1942. After a short stint of training in Miami, McDaniel was flying to the West Coast when he died on February 15, 1943, as a result of a plane crash. His remains, found outside of San Diego, were brought home to North Texas.
Douglas H. Mebane– Mebane was a native of Alvin before entering Austin College in 1907. He took many courses on the pre-medical track before graduating with his B.A. degree in 1911. At the college, he held executive offices in the Athenaeum Literary Society, the Kangaroo Court, and the Y.M.C.A. Additionally, Mebane was a star athlete on the track and basketball court. In 1916, he received his M.D. degree at the Galveston University Medical School, and sequentially served 25 years as a doctor in the U.S. Army. Mebane completed tours of service in Hawaii, the Philippines, and in Europe. He died in service on November 12, 1943, at the height of the Second World War. At the time of death, Mebane was Chief of the United States Medical Service.
Joseph L. Sory– Sory, a graduate of Sherman High School, was only at Austin College for one year before enlisting in the Army, however, made an impact upon the college. He was president of his freshman class, a member of the Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity, and voted ‘Favorite Freshman’ by his classmates. Sory received basic armed training at Fort Lewis, a military compound in Washington, and at Camp Phillips in Kansas. Overseas, Sory served with the company 114th Infantry, 44th Division, where he received the 1st class gunner’s medal for carbine, rifle, and machine gun. He was killed in action in Eastern France on November 15, 1944, less than seven months before the Second World War ended in Europe. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and his body was transported back to North Texas, where memorial services were conducted at St. Mary’s Church in Sherman. Sory’s brother, Lt. Henry Sory was a graduate of Austin College in 1944.
**Information & photographs found in the Austin College Special Collections (online), and Light Townsend Cummins’s two history books on the college.
No comments:
Post a Comment