William J. Ely
William Jonas Ely, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 29, 1911 Sycamore, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1933–1966 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
William Jonas Ely, Jr. (born December 29, 1911) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. He is a 1933 graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point) and earned a master's degree from Cornell University in 1936. He served during World War II with the United States Army, and was stationed in Australia, New Guinea, Philippine Islands and Japan. He also served with the United States Army Corps of Engineers in the 1930s, in the Midway Islands. He eventually retired at the rank of lieutenant (3 star) general. He is a former Deputy Commanding General of the Army Development & Logistic Command and Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
He was born in Sycamore, Pennsylvania, the son of J. Ross and Frances D. Ely.[1] His awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and two Legions of Merit.[2] After his retirement, Ely, who was an avid golfer,[3] designed, constructed and operated the Double Dam Golf Course near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[4] He won 10 championships, had nine hole-in-ones and shot his age more than 2000 times. He gave up golf when he turned 100 in 2011.
As of 2014 Ely is the oldest living graduate of West Point.[5][6] Ely was married to Helen Mountford from February 10, 1940[7] until March 25, 2014, when she died at the age of 100.[8] He completed his autobiography, "The Oldest Living Graduate", at 103 years of age and resides at a nursing home in Delray Beach, Florida. At the age of 105, Ely returned to West Point for the academy's May 2017 alumni review.[9][10]
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=103926
- ^ Seelig, Rebecca. "At 98 years old, Bill Ely has shot his age more than 2,000 times", Examiner.com, December 17, 2010. Accessed January 2, 2015.
- ^ http://triblive.com/news/washington/4032322-74/ely-golf-course#axzz3NglIWVED
- ^ https://www.growingbolder.com/oldest-living-west-point-grad-turns-103-3007352/
- ^ Gottesman, Marisa (2014-12-28). "Delray Beach resident, Army veteran celebrates 103rd birthday". Sun-Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved 2015-01-05.
- ^ http://www.westpointaog.org/document.doc?id=4130
- ^ http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/palmbeachpost/obituary.aspx?pid=170429439
- ^ Cox-Henry, Joanie (20 June 2017). "Delray Beach man, 105, returns to West Point". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ Panzino, Charlsy (23 May 2017). "'Once in a lifetime': Oldest living West Point grad returns to academy after 84 years". Army Times. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
Although Ely's 85th reunion is next year, he's the only remaining graduate from the Class of 1933 and was invited to this year's festivities.
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