 |
MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Pending
STANLEY DELBERT BLUM * '46
No. 15366 * 15 Feb 1924 - 9 May 2001
Died in Arlington, VA * Inurned at West Point Cemetery, West
Point, NY |
Stan Blum was born and raised in Oakland, CA.
He was active in Boy Scouts and loved to go on horse pack trips,
camping and fishing with his father. His love of camping continued
well into life. He attended and graduated from University High
School in Oakland; a unique place because all the teachers were
also professors at U of CA at Berkley. Stan was a good student
and had no problems entering Cal but he stayed only one term,
transferring to the Dodd School in Berkley to prepare for the
USMA exam. One of his classmates to be at West Point, Andrew
Dodd, was the son of the Headmaster.
Arriving at West Point on 1 July 1943, Stan easily adjusted
to cadet life. His love and interest in people came to the fore.
He was interested in and remembered everything about each of
his F2 Company classmates. Company mate, Kent Berge, tells of
his ski trip with Stan to Quebec first class Christmas. They
attended the Anglican Church the first day and received three
times as many party invitations as they could accept. The duo
was only able to ski three times as a result. At graduation,
Stan pinned on the gold bars as a second lieutenant in Armor.
After branch schooling at Fort Knox, KY, Stan was assigned to
Eighth Army in Tokyo. There he met an American School teacher,
Winelda Park. Stan returned to Ft Campbell, KY in 1950. He and
Winelda were married in La Jolla, CA on 9 July 1950. That year
Stan attended Columbia University where he earned his Masters
prior to teaching Social Sciences at West Point from 1952 - 1955.
His next assignments took him to Germany then to Fort Leavenworth,
KS where he was on the Faculty after graduating from C&GSC.
Then he went to Vietnam and returned to the Pentagon before becoming
the Army Attaché to Portugal. He became fluent in Portuguese
and received many compliments about his accent. In 1972, Stan
was sent to Iran as a Field Team Advisor. In 1974, Stan retired
from the Army as a Colonel. His retirement took place in Iran
as Stan had taken a position with an American firm in Tehran.
In the summer of1978, Stan and Winelda picked up a little red
Fiat sports car in Italy and drove back to Tehran. When Iran
began to fall apart in November they decided to leave and drove
out through Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. By March
of 1979, the political situation in Iran blocked their intended
return through Europe so they shipped the car to California and
continued through the Far East by air, train and bus. Stan studied
geography for two years at California State University, Hayward
before the Blums returned to Alexandria, VA in 1981. Stan then
started that phase of his life he referred to as being a volunteer.
Winelda was his partner in this volunteer endeavor. Their first
effort was to survey and measure Nuraghe Towers in Sardinia with
the U of CA Research Expeditions. Next, it was collecting medicinal
plants in the forests of Gujurat, India. The rest of Stan's life
continued in that vane. For close to eighteen years, he volunteered
for the Smithsonian Resident Associates. Of all his volunteer
endeavors, the one Stan loved best was C.A.M.P., The Council
on America's Military Past. He was a Co-President of the National
Capital District of C.A.M.P., his local chapter, as well as a
Director of C.A.M.P.
Stan died 9 May 2001 from complications of diabetes. Survivors
include his wife Winelda; sons, Justin and Stan, Jr.; daughters,
Adrienne and Stacy and five grandchildren.
The remembrances from some of the many who knew and loved Stan
Blum tell much about a true patriot and son of West Point, good
friend, loving husband and father:
Classmate, Ed Roxbury: "He was intellectually honest and
someone you knew you could count on. He leaves a void.'
Classmate, Will Joffrion: "I appreciated his keen intellect
and forthrightness. We've lost a great classmate, a wonderful
father, husband and soldier."
Friend since 1938, Paul Grunland, remembered: "The key
thing about Stan was his remarkable interest in people and his
memory of names and situations. Scout, student, soldier, husband,
parent, world traveler, geographer, friend of a lifetime; he
will be missed."
Son, Justin, wrote of his father: "He had a tremendous
love of life and it's infinite variety of experience. I know
he truly valued the association and friendship of his classmates.
If the best indication of a person's character is the friends
he keeps, then my father was a good man. His outstanding qualities
are the ones I value and carry with me, and I honor their source."
Son, Stan, Jr., recalled: " My father had a strong sense
of morality without being self-righteous. He was an interested
man and an adventurous man. I will miss him."
Winelda recalled: "I think Stan would like to be remembered
as a loyal family man who provided well for his wife and children.
Most of all, he enjoyed his life, his classmates, his love of
books and his travels. Above all, his greatest love was the adventure
of being here on this earth. No doubt, wherever he is now, he
is ready for his next assignment and will take up the challenge
gallantly and with joyful anticipation. His life was a gift to
us all - especially me!"
The Class of 1946 is proud to proclaim those few words that
would mean so much to our classmate: "Well Done, Stan; Be
Thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his family
|