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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly July 2001
DONALD GOULD ALBRIGHT * '46
No. 15420 * 22 Feb 1923 - 9 Apr 2000
Died at Jacksonville, FL * Cremated and ashes spread over Atlantic
Ocean |
Donald Gould Albright was born in Belvidere, IL.
His childhood was typical for a young man in a small town during
those times. He was a good student and athlete at Belvidere High
School where he graduated. After attending Woodrow Wilson Junior
College in Chicago, Don won his appointment to West Point where
he joined the Class of 1946 on the banks of the Hudson on 1 July
1943.
Roommate, Jack Burney, was able to describe Don's life as a cadet:
"Don's nickname was DG. He was a natural student and a very
bright one. He studied very little and still stood high in the
class. In fact, he could have stood higher if he had wanted to.
Academics weren't challenging enough for him and seemed to bore
him. For recreation, he read books above the level of our studies.
Another diversion for DG was classical music, which he loved
dearly.
"DG was very innovative. For example, after we received
our class rings, DG carved "stones" in three different
colors from toothbrush handles and would change colors periodically.
It was difficult to tell the difference between DG's rings and
those with authentic stones.
"DG had a friendly, easy going personality and an engaging,
natural sense of humor. Rooming with him was a pleasure and eased
the stresses of life at West Point." Don graduated as a
second lieutenant in the Infantry.
After the Infantry Officer's Basic Course at Fort Benning, GA,
Don's first assignment was to the 16th Infantry in Berlin, Germany.
In September of 1950, during the early phases of the Korean War,
Don deployed to Korea with the 187 RCT. He returned to the States
to attend the Infantry Advanced Course at Ft Benning and then
joined the ROTC program at Kansas State College in Manhattan,
KS. Don returned to Germany in 1954 to become a company commander,
8th Infantry Regiment. Back to the States in 1957, Don was assigned
to the G3 Section, Hqs, 18th Abn Corps at Fort Bragg, NC.
In 1958, Don was selected by the Foreign Language Department
at West Point to attend the University of Heidelberg in Germany
to study German. After a year in Heidelberg, Don became a German
instructor at West Point in 1959.
Don resigned in 1961 to go into civilian life. He first earned
a Masters in Education at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. Don
moved to Florida where he was involved in teacher education at
FL State University in Tallahassee, FL. He then joined the Florida
Department of State. First as a Cabinet Aide (a position unique
to FL) to the Attorney General. He then became Director for the
Study of the Cross-Florida Barge Canal and finally Director,
FL Youth Conservation Corps. Don retired in 1981.
In 1973, Don married Patricia Johnson O'Keefe. She was the first
Cabinet Aide to the FL Commissioner of Education. After 30 years
with the Florida Commission of Education, she retired in 1980.
She and Don were married by the Chief Justice of the FL Supreme
Court 13 July 1973.
Don and Pat traveled extensively after they both retired. Don
suffered a major stroke in 1993 and died of pulmonary fibrosis
9 April 2000.
F-1 classmate, Ed Frazer, remembered his friend: "DG and
I had established a bond in Beast Barracks and on our journey
to Pine Camp for maneuvers. The evening we spent in Cobbleskill,
NY enroute, DG and I were invited into a home for boodle and
conversation with a family with a daughter our age. They had
a record player and DG selected a number of symphonies by Wagner,
which he played. To me the music was fantastic and I do not believe
I had ever heard it before. The evening was a great tribute to
DG's intellectual taste in music. I have never forgotten that
interlude and I never will. DG's memory remains bright in my
mind as one of the most outstanding men I have had the privilege
to know."
His loving wife, Pat, wrote that Don was a wonderful husband,
loving, caring and so intelligent. She is grateful for their
great 26 years. Even though Don lost contact with most of his
classmates in later life, Pat recalled that he really loved West
Point. So, the Class of 1946 is glad to say for him, "Well
Done, Don; Be Thou At Peace!"
'46 MEMORIAL ARTICLE PROJECT AND HIS WIFE, PAT
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