In God We Trust
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42nd governor of Alabama, known as a strong supporter of segregation. Patterson was born September 27, 1921 in Goldville, Alabama. He served in a field artillery division in the Army during World War II in North Africa and Europe. He was discharged in 1945 with the rank of Major and with a Bronze Star. He returned to active duty in 1951 and was stationed in Europe. Shortly after arriving there he was transferred to the Judge Advocate's section. For a while he considered a career in the Army, but returned to law practice in the family law firm in Phenix City, Alabama in December of 1951. He served as governor of Alabama from 1959 to 1963.
Professional baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals, 1956. He was drafted into the Army in 1951. According to the Society for American Baseball Research, "While his military service cut into his professional career, he nonetheless spent most of his two-year hitch playing baseball. Initially, it was for his post team at Camp Pickett in Virginia. There, according to the Norfolk Journal and Guide, the African-American newspaper for his hometown, he batted clean-up and hit .382. When the Army sent him to Asia for fifteen months, until his discharge in 1953, he was a member of the Special Services division, playing baseball as well as football to entertain American troops in Japan and Korea." He was honorably discharged in 1953. Born February 22, 1929, in Franklin, Virginia, he played in the Negro League before moving into the major league. He was only in pro ball one year (1956). En route to play winter ball, he was killed in a plane crash at age 27 along with his wife, Nettie, and their three small children, Ken, Karen and Deborah. There is a little league baseball field named in his honor in Portsmouth, Virginia, the city where he grew up.
Retired urologist, Grand Prix race car driver, track physician at Riverside (California) Raceway. Dr. Pennington earned his MD at the University of Colorado and then completed his internship and residency at UC San Diego in 1966. While practicing urology in Los Angeles for 35 years he earned the reputation of making housecalls and never worrying about fees. Born February 25, 1932 in Phoenix, Arizona, and died January 27, 2007. He was a Korean War veteran.
Inventor who patented the touchscreen panel in the 1980s. A descendent of inventor Benjamin Franklin, he pioneered touch screen technology. He was a self-taught electrical engineer who not only patented the touchscreen, but also several other inventions. He served in a MASH unit during the Korean War. Born in Philadelphia, he died at age 86 on April 12, 2016.
Founder of the Electronic Data Systems Corporation, billionaire, U.S. Presidential candidate 1992 and 1996. Born June 27, 1930 in Texarkana, Texas, Ross Perot graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in our country's Navy from 1953 to 1957. He was chief engineer on the destroyer Sigourney when he had a disagreement with his commanding officer. He later served on the aircraft carrier USS Leyte.
Chairman of the Marrow Donor Program and vice president of DuPont Aviation. Born on March 2, 1932 in Topeka, Kansas, he joined the US Naval Reserve as seaman apprentice in June 1950. He was designated marine aviator and 2nd Lieutenant on October 22, 1952. He was the first African-American to fly for the Marines. In 1953 he was assigned to Fighter Attack Squadron 212 "Devil Cats". He flew 64 combat missions and earned six air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross in Korea. He was the first African-American to attend the National War College in D.C., and then served in Vietnam. He was the first African-American general in the Marine Corps. He retired in 1988 after 38 years of service. He then served on the board of directors of the National Aviation Research and Education Foundation. Beginning in 1999, he served two years as chair of the National Marrow Donor Program. In 1999 he joined DuPont Aviation as a vice president.
Basketball coach for 49 years at Mount Saint Mary's University. A 1951 graduate of LaSalle University, Jim played one season for the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA. From 1951 to 1953 he served in the United States Marine Corps. He was born March 19, 1929. Inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
Television host in Guinness Book of World Records for having the most on-air, on-camera time of any person. Born August 25, 1931 in New York, New York, Philbin attended and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx (1951). He attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating with a BA degree in 1953. He joined the US Navy, serving from 1953-1955. Lt.jg Philbin was a supply corps officer at the Naval Amphibious Base (NAB), Coronado, California.
Hollywood stuntman, minor league ballplayer, baseball/baseball glover designer. Born in 1929 in Rockford, Illinois, Pinckard was a minor league baseball player who played 12 seasons in Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati. During the off-season he was a Hollywood stuntman who subbed for Charlton Heston and Gary Cooper. His rise to the major leagues was interrupted by service in the Army during the Korean War. He was one of the first Caucasians to play baseball in Japan. There, his nickname was "Marco Polo." Due to a bad back, his Hollywood stuntman career was over by the 1960s. In 1963 he designed a new baseball made from cowhide rather than horsehide. This successful venture was adopted by the professional leagues and then he turned to making baseball gloves.
Minor League baseball player. [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com]. Marcel C. Poelker was born on August 26, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Alphonse Poelker, Marcel attended Roosevelt High School in St. Louis. Poelker graduated from high school in 1946 and signed with the Bristol Twins of the Class D Appalachian League in 1947. The 6-foot, 160-pound left-handed-hitting second baseman played just 10 games with the Twins and was hitting .115 (3 for 26) when he was released to the Fort Smith Giants of the Class C Western Association. Appearing in 19 games for the Giants, Poelker hit .145 and finished the year with the Lawton Giants of the Class D Sooner State League, where he batted .193 in 30 games. Despite his weak hitting, Poelker was an excellent defensive infielder and the 19-year-old played 133 games with Lawton in 1948, batting .210, as the club finished in second place. In 1949, Poelker was batting .160 over 21 games with Lawton before being optioned to the Belleville Stags of the Class D Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. Poelker batted .245 with the Stags in 103 games and hit two home runs. In 1950, the 21-year-old infielder was with the Sanford Giants of the Class D Florida State League and batted a career-high .271 in 139 games. After four seasons of minor league baseball, Poelker appeared to have found his groove but military service was on the horizon and he was inducted in the Army in December 1950. He was carried on the National Defense Service List of the Muskogee Reds of the Class C Western Association at the time. Marcel Poelker attained the rank of sergeant and served in Korea as a Light Weapons Assault Infantryman with Company C of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action September 25, 1951, aged 23, during the ill conceived attempts to overrun North Korean positions at the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. Allied forces (American and French) suffered 3,700 casualties during the battle. Marcel Poelker is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Affton, Missouri.
Starting pitcher in major league baseball. Born August 26, 1929, Tom Poholsky died January 6, 2001 in Kirkwood, Missouri. He debuted in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 20, 1950. His baseball career was interrupted when he was drafted into the Army, reporting for duty July 17, 1951. He played with the 1953 All-Army champions (Ft. Belvoir's team) in 1953. He returned to baseball after discharge, pitching for the Cardinals 1954-56. His last MLB appearance was September 11, 1957 with the Chicago Cubs.
This attorney graduated from Dartmouth in 1950 and Yale Law School in 1956. He served in a variety of government positions during the Kennedy and Johnson Administration, including Assistant to the Solicitor General, Advisor to the President for National Capital Affairs, and Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. Between colleges he served in the Navy during the Korean War. He was assigned to the USS Borie, a destroyer operating out of Norfolk, Virginia operating out of Norfolk, Virginia. The Borie was part of the first Atlantic division ordered to the Far East to serve in the Korean War. The destroyer stayed on the battle line just off the Korean coast until the end of July 1951.
Science fiction writer, essayist and journalist. Born August 7, 1933 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Jerry Pournelle served as a Lieutenant in an Army artillery unit during the Korean War. After serving his country he went on to become a renowned science fiction writer of such military-themed sci-fi books as Prince of Mercenaries, Prince of Sparta, The Mercenary, etc. He was also a contributor to Byte, a computer magazine, and in 1973 served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
Amateur baseball player. Killed in action while serving as a corporal with the Canadian Army in Korea June 26, 1952.
Country western singer who was part of the gospel quartet that performed on the television series Hee Haw. Affectionately known as the "Round Mound of Sound" (he weighed 200 pounds), he recorded 34 songs that made the Hot Country Songs charts between 1966 and 1980. He was born May 27, 1931 in Florence, Kentucky and died August 4, 1987 at age 56. He was a corporal in the US Army (1952-54) during the Korean War. While stationed in Korea, he auditioned for a USO show. By the time he was discharged, Price had decided to become a professional musician and studied briefly at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Later in 1954 he began playing on Midwestern Hayride at WLW Cincinnati. Three years later he was appearing on Buddy Ross' local television show Hometown.
Photographer of celebrities at the Hollywood Canteen. Served in World War II. Recalled to duty for the Korean War. In Korea, Pyle was assigned to the Signal Corps as Chief Photographer. He took pictures of the first round of peace talks and was then released from active duty.