Vol. 28 Staunton Military Academy, Xables. Virginia, Friday, October 6, 1944 No. 1 Academy Begins Its Heroic Major With Forces—Even In Death General McFarland 85th Session With Serves Second Year Capacity Enrollment As Superintendent Thirty-five States Represented; West Point Grad First General Nine New Instructors To Hold Superintendency Staunton Military Academy opened its Brigadier General Earl McFarland, eighty-fifth session Wednesday, Septem- native of Kansas, and until August, 1943, ber 13, with capacity enrollment. Enroll- commanding officer at the Springfield ment represented thirty-five states, the Armory, Massachusetts, has begun his District of Columbia, and four Central second year as Superintendent of Staun- and South American countries. ton Military Academy. He was appointed Nine new instructors have been added to the office Sept. 14, 1943, by the school's to the S.M.A. faculty in addition to the board of directors, and assumed duties already announced appointments to key opening of 1943-44 session. General Mc- posts of commandant and professor of Farland, United States Army retired, re- military science and tactics. These as- lieved Colonel S. Stewart Pitcher, who signments are filled by Colonel William had been Acting Superintendent since C. Louisell and Col. Glen T. Strock re- General E. R. W. McCabe's recall to spectively. Colonel Strock will be assisted active duty. in the military department by Major General McFarland is a graduate of Joseph Taylor, Captain Ross V. Hersey, United States Military Academy, West Sergeant Louis A. Onesty, and Other en- Point, and is the first general to hold th.: listed men, two of whom have seen ex- superintendency of the Academy. In tensive overseas service. All faculty mem- June, '39, General McFarland gave the bers have reported. commencement address at S. M. A. Matriculation, including registration, The General has a distinguished mili- classification and processing with uniform tary record, is the author of extensively equipment, was completed in three days. used military text books, and holds the Fradiy morning the Corps was formally Distinguished Service Medal, awarded welcomed by General McFarland and -after citation by General John J. Persh- orders to the corps were given by Com- ing. General McFarland is a" graduate of mandant Louisell. Brief introductory numerous Army Special Schools and Col- academic classes were held Friday and leges, and served two tours of duty at Saturday. Military and athletic depart- West Point, first as Assistant Professor ments began to function Friday as well. THE STARS AND STRIPES cover the body of Major Thomas D. Howie of Staunton as it "lies in state" on a and later as Professor in Department of Devotional services were conducted on heap of rubble midst the ruins of the Church of St. Croix in St. Lo—his shrine flanked by the men he had Ordnance and Gunnerv. the "Hill" Sunday. Regular school began led in an assault on the town. One of the war's dramatic classics is associated with this scene.— (International). Monday, September 18. New Faculty Heroic "Major Of St. Lo" Revealed Alumni Festivities New-members of the faculty are : Omitted; Hundreds Lieutenant Virgil Abbott, Allentown, As S. M. A.'s Thomas D. Howie Pa., Stroudsburg (Pa.) State Teachers Serve; Many Visit College, B.S., mathematics and mechani- lll cal drawing. Valorous Leader Paid The "i ranks of Alumni returning Lieut. Francis S. Bassejt, Ridgefield, Rare Tribute By lent further i < dim., S'.'. h.iwrcnce'University toIurnBia lighting Comrades trie large number oi "i Id Boys >t. ving' (Continued on Page Eidit) with the Armed Forces or in vital home (Hal Boyle, war correspondent with the front capacities. Careful analysis of'avail- able records places the number of Staun- Honor Candidates Qualify 116th Infantry in France, dramatically re- ported the epic of the heroic and tragic ton Sons in the Services near the three For U. S. Naval Academy thousand mark, eighty-five percent of death of Tom Hozme, former director "/%► ** V» of athletics and Alumni Secretary at whom arc officers, commissioned and non- All three of the Academy's candidates Staunton Military Academy. It follows commissioned, thanks to training received for midshipmen nominated for the com- in part): on the "Hill" during undergraduate days. petitive examinations for midshipmen The 1944 class has joined Alumni ranks held April 19, 1944, not only passed, but When they passed out presidential cita- and promises to live up 'to the highest qualified for appointment to the United tions to officers and doughboys who traditions established by Alumni already cracked St. Lo, the eastern hinge of the States Naval Academy. serving so loyally and heroically. Soon, German battleline it was a sad ceremony Each year honor schools of which perhaps even now, this group will be to many because the "Major of St. Lo" there are normally more than forty scattered all over the world on land, on among the' essentially military schools was not alive to receive his. sea, and on air carrying on in typical The "Major-of St. Lo" was THOMAS General Earl McFarland throughout the United States, designate S. M. A. style. three candidates to take these examina- D. HOWIE of Staunton, Va., one of the Pursuing administrative policy, to in General and Mrs. McFarland have three tions, the first ten of approximately one best beloved battalion leaders in the no. way emphasize non-essentials or to children. Their daughter resides with hundred twenty-five qualifying for ap- American Army. He was killed July 17, I J in anyway divert attention from 100 per them and two sons are in the service of pointments to the Naval Academy. Boyd the day before the city fell, after he cent war consciousness, the Alumni Of their country. Cole McFarland is in the B. Sibert, of Washington, ranked number broke through the Nazi wall to relieve TOM HOWIE fice, after careful consideration, attempted Architectural Department of the En- two; Robert S. Pyle of Millburn, N. J, another battalion of this regiment which no organized Alumni activity as such gineers Corps as a junior architect in stood number eight and Edgar S. Levy, was encircled on the outskirts. Tom Howie Kej Faculty during the past year. However, it has Honolulu. Major Earl McFarland, Jr., of Baton Rouge, La., finished number ten. Today the Major lies in honor with Member Since 1929 been this Office's privilege to carry on is in the Southwest Pacific. Colonel The successful cadets have since passed other officers and men in the 29th Di- extensive correspondence with hundreds Hamilton Tinchell, daughter's husband, physical examinations and are now mid- vision's Cemetery—but on the day St. "Tom" Howie w;s born in Abbeville, of "Old Boys" on every front of the is on General Staff in European Theater. o shipmen. Lo was taken the dead Major was car- S. C, April 12, l<i)8, a member of a global conflict. At the same time a con- The feat of all three of S.M.A.'s can- ried through the streets in state in an large family. He attended the Citadel certed effort has been made to try to Colonels Louisell And didates qualifying for appointment is re- ambulance and his flag-draped body was where lie was promhent both in athletics make our records more complete. placed on a pile of rubble beside the shell Strock Appointed To garded a signal academic achievement. and in intellectual pirsuits. He was grad- A surprising but definitely pleasing wrecked Church of Ste. Croix. The Important Positions uated with a . B.A. degree in 1929, and fact is the number of "Old Boys" who storming force passed in review through missed being seleced for a Rhoades have found, taken, or borrowed, the op- Two important appointments to the M. A. GIVEN an artillery barrage thrown by the with- scholarship by a fraction of a percentage portunity to visit the "Hill" during the staff at Staunton Military Academy were HONOR RATING drawing Germans. point. past year. Man}' have stopped over be- announced by Brigadier General Ear! FOR 21st YEAR Howie, in his middle thirties, formerly The late Colonel Thomas H. Russell, tween change in military stations. McFarland, superintendent. Colonel Wil' taught English literature, coached foot- then president of S. vl. A., brought Tom At an assembly in the mess hall Among out-of-town Alumni visiting iam C. Louisell, U. S. A. Ret., will serve ball, and was athletic director at Staun- Howie to the Academy in the fall of 1929. announcement of the War Depart- during Finals were: Ken Read, '20; as acting commandant of cadets ami ton Military Academy. He was an athletic He held a position in the English Depart- 1 ment selection of S. M. A. as an Captain Chas. K. "Casey" Jones, '10; Colonel Glen T. Strock, Infantry, i ; (Continued on Page Two) ment and quickly identified himself with honor military school was made Arno Johnson, '18; Seaman Lacey, '43; detailed by War Department order as o athletics. In 1933 he was made head by General Earl McFarland, super- (Continued on Page Seven) professor of military science and tactic.. coach and director of athletics. Five years intendent. Major Eaker Does Job Well o Both appointees have begun their new later he became Alumni Secretary, The announcement was read by Lehmayer Honors Heroes duties. handled the school's publicity and served Cadet C. F. Helmly, the new first Major ARTHUR T. EAKER, '15, served Not New Comer as field representative. He held this po- captain, who said: "On this open- for two years as Commanding Officer of JOSEPH M. LEHMAYER, '13, of York, Colonel Louisell is not a newcomer to sition until he entered active duty Febru- ing day of the school year, it is the Altoona AFIS.