Paul Lenio
(2 OCT 1933, 17 NOV 1994)
Paul Lenio Eulogies
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Ft Huachuca AZ Cemetery (MAR 2007)
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Frank's Sister, Hilbert, Mary O'Brien, Rumsey and Lenio
Welter, Strati, Fralen, Wix, Roades and Masson
Frank O'Brien's Funeral (1987)
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| Row 10: Bergen, Cathey, Chapman, Gamble, Todd Graham, Don Smith, ?, Polly, McCloskey, Row 9: Blitch, Secord, Jim Ryan, Wing ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, Row 8: ?, ?, ?, Matuszak, Wayne Smith, ?, Fleeger, Lynn, Joe Franklin, Charlie Johnson, Gunderson, Row 7: Regnier, ?, Reed Stone, Herren, Weaver, Matteson, Hayes, ?, Enslow, Cliff Jones, ?, ?, Reid, Feagin, Row 6: Wargowsky, Lichtenberg, Sanderson, Baker, Dienst, McCullough, Schick, Ludwig, Soper, Bean, Shideler, Lenio, Pirkey, Row 5: Goldstein, Fralen, Le Cates, Meisenheimer, Wheeler, Horst, Whittaker ?, Cardillo, Page, Newton, Prater, Lucas, Row 4: ?, Sloan, Traut, Rich Miller, Hoeferkamp, Heye, ?, ?, West, Bill Graham, Row 3: Andrews, Perkins, Gay, Pace, Olvey, Strati, Dugan, Jackson, Whtitaker ?, Ralph Henry, Gallup, Murray, Ewing, Fikaris, Row 2: Hornbarger, Al Edwards, Robinson, ?, Thorsen, Dickson, Vitty, Tom Phillips, Bill Anderson, Giddings, Jacobs, Dryer, Row 1: Bazilwich, Samos, Wray, Trobaugh, Brokenshire, Bossert, Hagedorn, Walton, Poirier, Hasbrouck, LaFrenz, Nourse, Malooley |
(25th Reunion MAY 1980)
Larger Size
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| Row 8: Auer, McNair, Street, Wix, Row 7: Horst, Paul Parks, ?, Dugan, Grubbs, Domeck, Bliss, Row 6: Howie Stone, Newton, Booras, Strom, McDonald, Row 5: Fikaris, Schick, Gallup, Cardillo, Wheeler, Masson, Row 4: Katenbrink, Spellman, Joseph, ?, Schlotter, Row 3: Bergen, Fralen, ?, Andrews, Dunaway, Bob Johnson, Jim Ryan, Row 2: Bean, Strati, Soper, Jeter, Wiegand, Lenio, Price, Row 1: Prater, Thorsen, Meisenheimer, Reid, Zaborowski, Feagin, Joe Franklin |
(15th Reunion 1970)
Larger Size
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| Standing (L to R): Weaver, Lewis, Turner, Chikalla, Gallup, O'Brien, Freed, Hadly, Wix, ?, Streett, ?, Reb Young, Quinn, Lenio, ?, Perkins, Thorsen, ?, Nieves, Sherman, Burroughs, Giza, Traut, Sloan, Gay, Paul Parks, Andrews, Ginter, Bates, McNair, ?, Lichtenberg, Nidever, Secord, Feagin, Cathey, Herren, ?, ?, Ludwig, ?, ?, ?, Ralls, ?, Shimunek, Macdonald, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, Bob
Strickland Front (L to R): Soper, Newton, Dax, Chance, Schmidt, Shideler, Bergen, Matteson, Hargrove, Hornbarger, Steakley, Stevens, Drummond, Rudzki, Knierem, Wargowsky, ?, Stern, ?, ?, Livesay, Dickson, Michalove, Hagan, Landers, ?, Blitch, ?, Cardillo, Ordway, Trobaugh, Crancer, Maus, LaFrenz, Sydenham, Strom, ?, Howie Stone, Schepps, Raymond, Spellman, Sanderson ?, Wray , Fikaris, Stevenson, Sims, ? |
(10th Reunion 1965)
Larger Size
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F - 2
1st Row: Rumsey, Goodwin, O'Brien, Al Edwards, Masson, Worden
2nd Row: Dorough, Symonds, Hilbert, Welter, Lenio, Cummings
3rd Row: Wolfe (CO), Sparks, Matuszak, Wix
4th Row: Bruce MacDonald, Beoddy, Staffen
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|
Many years ago Paul told me this story about his medical residency at
Walter Reed Hospital. It was at the time that Gen. Douglas MacArthur was
in his last days, confined to bed in his room in the VIP quarters.
Residents were assigned to stay with the General in regular shifts, and
Paul served on each evening shift, sitting quietly in the room as MacArthur
slowly passed away. During the hours of Paul's presence, MacArthur tended
to become restless, and he talked to the room, and to Paul, about the past.
In fact, he began first with his early career, traveling with his Chief of
Staff father to the Orient and meeting all the young leaders who would
become his contemporaries in the Second World War. Paul said these
sessions went on every night, in the lucid and descriptive speech for which
MacArthur was rightly famous, and covered in precise chronology the entire
career of this extraordinary soldier. Paul sat spellbound each evening
during the many sessions as MacArthur spun out the most minute and
fascinating details of a lifetime that spanned our military history through
the first half of the twentieth century. When the General died, and the
ceremonies surrounding his death had faded away, Paul recalled his evenings
with MacArthur and realized that he had been the sole witness to a unique
retelling of history that was nowhere recorded. He said to me, with great
chagrin and humility, that he had failed to react and try to capture in
some fashion these last ruminations of a towering figure in our history.
It was so typical of Paul, in his understated and self-effacing way, to
assume that there was more he should have done, for all the rest of us. I
am grateful and proud to have shared a part of life with such a good and
great man. Well done, Paul. Your classmate and admirer always, Joe Franklin (MAY 10 (1999) I served a one year tour of duty under Lieutenant Colonel Lenio as NCOIC of the Laboratory at the 27th Surg Hospital, Chu Lai, Vietnam, from our unit's departure by ship in February (1968) until April (1969). Colonel Lenio was an outstanding leader and commander. Orin Keplinger June 7, 2001) Paul T. Lenio was born October 2 (1933) in Rome New York, the son of Mack and Carolyn (Horin) Lenio. Mack Lenio immigrated from Poland at the age of thirteen. Mack, an orphan, with little formal education eventually owned and operated Food Markets throughout the Rome area. During Paul's early years, the Great Depression, he observed his parent's generosity delivering food from the Lenio Food Markets, no questions asked, to needy with little or no monetary compensation. Mack and Carolyn Lenio's kindness to others greatly influenced Paul's development into a truly kind and giving person. In Rome High School Paul decided on attending West Point and transferred to the Manlius School to better prepare himself. Paul thrived in the military environment of Manlius. He was appointed to the position of Commander of B Company at Manlius. Graduating from Manlius in June (1951) Paul obtained an "Honor Military School" Appointment to attend West Point based on Competitive Examination. In July 1951), Paul joined the class of 1955) at West Point. His time at West Point was marked by Paul's laid back capable manner. No challenge, physical or mental, was difficult for Paul. He was well liked by all his classmates and quickly established himself as the fellow who could get a tough job successfully accomplished with little, or more-often, no fanfare. Paul was also known for having the knack of putting himself in the right place at the right time. During Cow trip it was the custom for the 500 man '55 class to arrive at a new Military Post on a Saturday Morning and be immediately turned loose on the local community to meet young ladies and arrange dates for a Saturday Night Dance scheduled to welcome the '55 cadets. Generally the first 100 cadets out the door were successful with the other 400 cadets being out of luck... except for Paul. After being released from duties, Paul would take a long shower, get his gear unpacked and then well after his classmates, go looking for a weekend date. Invariably about the time Paul departed the Barracks some Officer from the Post being visited would approach Paul with a request to take his "knockout" daughter to the dance in the daughter's car and plan dates for the duration of the '55 visit to the Post. After about two of these occurrences, at the first two Posts visited, the word got around. At the third Post, and all thereafter, Paul always had a crowd of classmates around him when he departed the Barracks. Always generous with his good fortune, like his Dad, Paul would arrange dates for his less fortunate classmates. More than one marriage evolved from a Paul Lenio introduction. While at West Point Paul attended daily Mass and sang in the Catholic Choir. An all-around athlete, Paul swam, ran cross country, played lacrosse and participated in intermurals at West Point. With seemingly no effort the "laid-back" Paul finished in the middle of his graduating class. Many times it appeared to his closest cadet friends that Paul would rather be "one-of-the-guys" than achieve a higher standing, which he was easily capable of, in the class of 1955). Upon graduation Paul elected to join the Infantry. After completing the Basic Infantry Officers Course at Fort Benning with orders to Germany, Paul did something, which was unknown for 2nd Lieutenant West Point graduates enroute to Germany, he decided to attend Medical School and become a Doctor. On the way from Fort Benning for a week at home in Rome, NY, enroute to Germany, Paul stopped off at the Pentagon to request 4 years leave of absence to attend Medical School. The Infantry Major Personnel Officer who heard Paul's request politely told Paul to continue on to home, enjoy his leave and report to Germany as ordered and forget Medical School. Paul smartly saluted and departed the Pentagon. A few days later, while at home in Rome NY, the Major called Paul and told him his orders to Germany had been cancelled. Instead of going to Germany, Paul received an interim assignment to the 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) at Ft. Myer, Virginia to give the Army time to consider Paul's request to attend Medical School. With his West Point and Manlius training Paul quickly fit in to the spit and polish demanded by the unit and performed many ceremonial functions both in D.C. and Arlington Cemetery. On his free time he enjoyed exercising the horses from the Caisson Section of the Regiment. The decision within the Pentagon on Paul's request was a difficult and time consuming. In a few months Paul and another classmate following Paul's lead to attend Medical School were told to report to the office of the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Maxwell Taylor. General Taylor told the two 2nd Lieutenants that their requests were approved. Paul completed a year Pre-Med Training at Dartmouth College and in September 1957) was admitted to Cornell University Medical College in New York City. The crowning moment of Paul's Medical Career was his election to the position of President, Arizona Medical Association (ArMA). One of the duties of the ArMA President was to write a "presidential column" in the ARIZONA MEDICAL Magazine. A portion of his last Column, written in November 1994), to all Arizona Medical Doctors, best sums up the Paul Lenio the authors of this Memorial all knew and loved. Paul wrote: "...It is unfortunate that dying is the last thing we do, because it could teach us so much about living. Too often we treat patients in their terminal phases of life not as if they were dying but as though they were already dead. In my own case as I approach ever increasing tumor burden, there are two things I fear the most: loneliness and extreme suffering. Neither is likely to happen but how often I envision the patients under my past care who died in a hospital in the middle of the night without any friends or family members at his or her bedside; or I remember the soldier in Vietnam, separated from his unit, dying alone on a lonely hillside. But it is not my intention to be macabre as I conclude my last message to you. The common theme discussed in books and pamphlets about dying is the benefit derived from a positive attitude. They tell you to stay productive and intellectually challenged while being realistically positive toward prolonging your life. I strongly subscribe to this attitude and add love and respect, actively expressed and demonstrated to your friends and family..." Paul died 17 November 1994), shortly after writing this Article. Bill Welter Memorial Article February 15, 2007) Paul was my roomie at West Point for all four years. I consider this to be one of my greatest blessings. In good times and in bad, Paul was always there. He went into medicine and ended up the President of the Arizona Chapter of the American Medical Association. If he had stayed in the Army, I'm sure he would have been the Surgeon General. Truly an outstanding person in every respect. He now rests in peace. Bill Welter February 15, 2007) |
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