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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Nov '94
Allen Albert Wheat No 15315 Class of 1946
Died 5 March 1992 in New York City, New York, aged 68 years.
Interment: West Point Columbarium, West Point, New York. |
Allen Albert Wheat, known to his family and friends
as Al, was born 23 November 1923 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His
family moved to Sturgis, Michigan, and Al graduated from Sturgis
High School. He attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
for a year where he was a member of the marching band. In 1943,
he received his coveted appointment to West Point, joining the
Class of 1946 on 1 July.
Thanks to Al's sharp mind and amiable personality,
cadet life presented no major problems. He played in the cadet
dance orchestra and participated in the 100th Night Show each
year. One of his best friends, roommate and fellow airman Joe
F. Lusk, remembered: "We had a very good time our last year
before we graduated. We played bridge as much as we could and
enjoyed each hand. Additionally, we helped our classmates by
giving them extra instruction. Al was very intelligent and could
have worn stars if he had applied himself to studying."
At graduation, Al pinned on the bars and wings of a second lieutenant
in the Army Air Corps.
Joe Lusk recounted: "After graduation, we
went to Enid, Oklahoma for transition into bombers of the Army
Air Corps. One of the trips we took at Enid was to Denver over
a Labor Day weekend. From Denver we drove up to Estes Park and
Rocky Mountain Park. On the top, we took two rolls of film but
no pictures. No one noticed that we had the cover on the lens.
From Enid, we went to Tampa, Florida to be checked out in B-29s.
At Tampa, everyone had two or three different jobs instead of
flying. Then General LeMay took over SAC and changed everything.
We went back to flying. Al married Dorothy (Dot) Vachil in Tampa
on 22 March 1947. On the day of the marriage, our group had a
full alert. Al was spared and so was I, since I was on crutches
with a sprained ankle. The two of us were the only males at the
wedding and reception, and I could not dance. The ladies had
to dance with each other.
"The following summer, our squadron opened
Castle Air Force Base and became the 93rd Bomb Group. The following
year Al and I went to Squadron Officer School, after which Al
was selected to attend the University of California where he
received his master's in nuclear physics. Afterward, he went
to West Point to teach in the Electricity Department."
Al renewed old acquaintances and gained many new
friends during his tour at West Point. His quiet, gentle demeanor
and sincere interest in others made him a joy to be around. The
promotion outlook in the mid 50s was the major factor in Al's
decision to resign from the Air Force in 1956 to try his hand
at civilian life.
His first position was with American Machine and
Foundry in Greenwich, Connecticut. When AMF moved out of Greenwich
in 1958, Al accepted a position with Wonder Building in Chicago.
In 1966, Al and Dot moved back to New York to take a position
with Shields & Company, an investment firm.
John F. (Jack) Donahue recalled: "Al developed
a technical service for trading stocks based on momentum and
marketed the service to small and medium institutions. His technical
expertise was utilized by the Block Trading Desk of Shields &
Co. (a major block trading firm in the late 60s and early 70s).
In the mid-70s, Al and Dot moved to Houston to be closer to their
daughter and her family. He continued in the investment business
and developed a retail clientele.
"I might add that Al and I had some great
times fishing. We fished the Shark River in a wilderness area
30 miles or more south of Everglades City, Florida. Once we flew
to Marsh Manor in the Bahamas and rented a houseboat. We went
fishing around the islands for a number of days. It was a great
and memorable experience. We had a priest with us, and, on Easter
Sunday morning, we had a sunrise service on the deck of the boat
in the middle of nowhere."
The Wheats moved back to New York in the early
1980s, and Al remained in the investment business. He retired
in 1988, and he and Dot started traveling. One of their favorite
destinations was the Black Forest of Germany, which they visited
many times. An avid reader, he really enjoyed Dick Francis's
mysteries.
Al died suddenly from an aneurysm on 5 March 1992.
He is survived by his wife. Dot, son Allen, and daughter, Barbara.
Al Wheat had been away from military life for almost
40 years when he died, but he still had a special place in his
heart for West Point and his classmates. He was proud to be a
West Pointer and proud of the time he spent in the Air Force.
Dot said Al was always there for his family and friends. He was
greatly respected by all who knew and loved him. Joe Lusk stated:
"Al was one of the best friends I ever had at the Point
and after we graduated. He was very trusting and generous. He
would help you without any question. I will miss him."
Al Wheat will be remembered as a loving husband
and father and a steadfast friend and classmate. The Class of
1946 joins his family and friends in saying, "Well Done,
Al; Be Thou at Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife, Dot
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