Madison County Genealogical Society
Minutes of the Meeting - October 10, 2013
The October 2013 meeting of the Madison
County Genealogical Society was held at the Edwardsville Public Library on
Thursday, October 10, at 7:00 pm.
President, Robert Ridenour, called the
meeting to order.
GIFT
MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE
Do you have a family member that is
interested in (or even obsessed with) genealogy? A membership in the Madison
County Genealogical Society would be a very thoughtful gift. A gift card will
be sent to the recipient of any gift membership.
The following memberships are available:
Individual/Family Annual Membership $20.00
Patron Annual Membership $30.00
Life Membership $250.00
Contact our Secretary, Petie Hunter, at petie8135@att.net, about a gift membership.
October
Meeting
On October
10, 2013, Mr. Ralph "Bo" Jackson, Jr., presented a program titled The History and
Impact of Western Military Academy.
Mr. Jackson is the son of Col. Ralph B. Jackson, Sr., the last superintendant
of Western Military Academy (WMA). Mr. Jackson's father, grandfather, and
great-grandfather served consecutively as superintendants of Western Military
Academy. Ralph lived on the WMA campus until it was sold in 1978.
History of Western Military Academy
Western Military Academy was established as the Wyman Institute, a boarding
school for young men in Upper Alton, Illinois, in 1879 by Edward Wyman. Mr.
Wyman hired Col. A. M. Jackson, great-grandfather of the speaker, a graduate of
Princeton, to come and teach at his institute. Upon Mr. Wyman's death, Col.
Jackson bought the school from Wyman's estate. Col. Jackson was superintendant
of the school from 1888 until his death in 1919. He renamed the school to
Western Military Academy, and it evolved into one of the most prestigious
private schools in the country.
Col. R. L. Jackson was born on the campus of WMA. He graduated from WMA in
1906, received his degree from Princeton in 1911, and returned to Western as an
instructor and coach before succeeding his father as head of the institution.
Col. R. B. Jackson was born in Alton, Illinois, in 1917 and graduated from
Western in 1935. He attended college at Colorado College and Princeton and
received degrees from the University of Chicago and Washington University in
St. Louis. Col. Jackson was on the faculty of WMA both before and after World
War II, before he was elected president and superintendant of WMA.
Western Military Academy closed in 1971and the campus was sold in 1978.
Weather, neglect, vandalism, theft, arson, and the wrecking ball have severely
scarred Western's once beautiful and historic campus. Only the administration
building, Lower Gym, and "C" Barracks (At one time, there were five
barracks: A through E.) remain along with the front gate and the Memorial
Entrance Way.
Heroes of World
War II from Western Military Academy
Although nearly 1,100 of Western's young men entered the service during World
War II, and fifty-one of those were listed as killed or missing in the line of
duty, two of those young men stand out as heroes.
Edward "Butch" O'Hare graduated from WMA in 1932. He attended the
U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1937. His assignment as a carrier pilot put
him in the vanguard of U.S. World War II forces. At the Battle of the Coral Sea
in 1942, he was assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington. A squadron of nine
Japanese bombers approached the Lexington. Butch and his wingman were flying
cover for the carrier. It was customary for U.S. fighter pilots to test fire
their plane's guns before engaging the enemy. The wingman's guns jammed and
left Butch alone against the nine bombers. He had four machine guns to their
sixty-three guns. Butch, highly outnumbered and outgunned, attacked the
bombers. In a matter of a few minutes, he had shot down five and seriously
damaged a sixth, disrupting the attack and saving the Lexington. He shot down
these bombers using an average of less than sixty rounds per plane. Butch was
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President F. D. Roosevelt. He went
on to win the Navy Cross and two Distinguished Flying Cross Medals before his
death in a night battle off Tarawa in 1943. In 1949, Chicago's O'Hare
International Airport was named in his honor.
Paul Tibbets graduated from WMA in 1933, graduated
from the University of Florida, and enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1937.
Early in 1942, he flew in the first daylight bombing raids by the U.S. over
German occupied Europe. As a result of these successful missions, he was called
upon to ferry Gen. Eisenhower to Gibraltar on the eve of the North Africa
invasion.
In 1944, Tibbetts was ordered to lead a top-secret
mission to organize and deliver the A-Bomb on Japan. On August 6, 1945, he
piloted a B-29 Superfortress, named the Enola Gay
after his mother, on a mission to drop the first A-Bomb on Hiroshima. Eight
days later, the war had been won and the world had entered the nuclear age.
Gen. Tibbetts earned many decorations during his
distinguished career, including the Distinguished Flying Cross twice.
Other Notable
Cadets
Many other notable individuals attended Western Military Academy. Some of these
were:
|
Name |
Date of Graduation |
Accomplishments |
|
Thomas
Hart Benton |
1906* |
Famous Missouri Artist |
|
John
Stelle |
1907-08* |
Governor of Illinois
and National Commander of the American Legion |
|
William
Schott |
1911 |
World Famous Diplomat |
|
Lee
Tracy |
1918 |
Academy Award
Nominated Actor (The Best Man) |
|
William
Paley |
1918 |
Chairman of the Board
of Columbia Broadcasting System |
|
Rey
Scott, |
1919-21* |
Award Winning
Filmmaker |
|
Robert
MacDonald |
1926 |
Owners of the
construction company that built the St. Louis Gateway Arch |
|
Wilfred
MacDonald |
1930 |
|
|
Sander
Vanocur |
1946 |
Prominent Newsman for
NBC |
|
Jerry
Mayer |
1949 |
Playwright TV
comedies, All
in the Family, MASH, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bob Newhart Show |
|
Robert
Hardesty |
1949 |
Speech Writer and
Legislative Assistant for President L.B. Johnson |
|
Michael
Wallis |
1963 |
Best Selling Author,
Award Winning Reporter, and Voice Talent (2006 animated movie CARS) |
|
* Did not graduate from Western
Military Academy |
||
Famous Visitors
Many famous personages have visited Western Military Academy:
|
Jack
Dempsey |
Former Heavyweight
Boxing Champion of the World |
|
Robert
P. Wadlow |
Alton's Gentle Giant,
the Tallest Man who has ever lived. (8' 11" and still growing at his
death at age 21.) |
|
August
A. Busch |
Owner of Anheuser
Busch Brewery in St. Louis |
|
Dizzy
Dean |
Famous St. Louis
Cardinals Pitcher |
|
Frank
Sinatra |
Famous Singer and
Actor |
|
Amelia
Earhart |
Famous Aviatrix |
|
Gen.
Jonathon Wainwright |
Commander of
Philippine and U.S. troops at the beginning of World War II. Forced to |
This was a very
interesting, entertaining, and informative presentation and generated several
questions from the audience.
