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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Nov '94
Irving Granville Rouillard No.15577 Class of 1946
Died 24 July 1993 in Locust Grove, Virginia, aged 72 years. Interment:
Ashes buried in Locust Grove, Virginia. |
Irving Granville Rouillard, known to his friends
as "Gran," was born 7 July 1921 in Saratoga Springs,
New York. He spent his youth in Saratoga Springs and graduated
from high school there after being elected president of his class
and receiving an award for displaying the best qualities of leadership,
character and service. After attending Harvard for a year, Gran
enlisted in the Army Air Corps shortly after Pearl Harbor. He
entered West Point on 1 July 1943 with the Class of 1946.
His experience at Harvard and in the Air Corps
made cadet life relatively easy for Gram. Friend and companymate,
Philip Fryberger remembered: "Gran Rouillard was a genuine
and truly warmhearted human being. There was no falseness or
pretense about him. What you saw and heard is what you got. He
was special. He loved people and it showed. When you met him,
he made you feel that you had known him forever. I first became
aware of Gran during Beast Barracks when upperclassmen mistook
us for one another. Later, we kidded each other about that, and
I wish that I had told him how proud I was that, for some period
of my life, I had been mistaken for Gran Rouillard. He was self
assured because of an inner strength and confidence which he
conveyed without the cockiness that sometimes accompanies such
attributes. Above all else, he was just a joy to be around. I
don't ever recall hearing Gran raise his voice in anger, nor
did he ever give the impression that life was bearing down on
him, as I know it did during the later years as his health failed
him."
One of Gran's roommates, Grover W. Asmus, recalled:
"How well I remember Gran as a cadet. He was older than
most of us. At least he seemed older. This maturity gave him
the cloak of leadership that he wore well as our company commander
during Plebe Christmas. He livened our lives with the wonderful
jokes he told during parades. His wise counsel, especially in
matters of the heart, was sought after. Gran was not on an athletic
team and was somewhat jealous of those who were and could avoid
parades and, especially, riding. He frequently returned from
riding sessions nursing aches and pains from being thrown from
yet another horse."
At graduation, Gran became a second lieutenant
in the Infantry. At Fort Benning, Gran met and married Janet
Hines. From the Infantry School, Gran was assigned to Germany
with the 18th Infantry. He returned to the States, again to Fort
Benning with The Infantry Center. About this time, he and Janet
divorced. He next was assigned as a company commander at Fort
Ord, California Reception Center. The year 1952 was a momentous
one for Gran. He married Ranelle Jacobs, transferred to the Judge
Advocate General's Corps and was selected to attend Harvard Law
School. Following graduation, Gran was assigned to the Staff
Judge Advocate at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. From Fort Bragg,
the Rouillard's traveled to Japan where Gran was assigned to
the 1st Cavalry Division and then US Army, Japan. Gran returned
to the States for assignment to the Office of the Judge Advocate
in the Pentagon. In 1964, he was selected to be a judge on the
US Army Court of Military Review. He served there until 1971,
when he retired as a colonel. He and Ranelle divorced in 1970.
Gran retired to Rochester, New York, where he became
an editor for the Lawyers Cooperative, an organization that prepares
and publishes scholarly articles and annotations on current topics
of interest to the legal profession. He retired in 1984 and his
third wife, Carol, died suddenly shortly thereafter. Gran moved
to Lake of the Woods in Locust Grove, Virginia in 1986, and married
Frances Cox in 1988. Gran developed cancer and emphysema and
died on 25 July 1993 after a long illness. He is survived by
his wife, Frances; daughter Christina; sons Granville and Peter;
sister, Mary; and two brothers Warren and Paul.
Irving Granville "Gran" Rouillard left
an indelible mark on all those whose paths he crossed. Grover
Asmus recalled: "Gran was unusual in that he never envied
the material success of others. In his heart, he knew that he
had done his best and that was his success. The last time I saw
him, shortly before retirement, he confirmed that in all his
life he never wavered from that belief. If only we all could
know that we have done our best and find peace in that knowledge.
When I heard about it, my shock would not allow me to accept
Gran's death."
Phil Fryberger provided the following: "I
know Gran will forgive me for quoting Jack Pearl, also known
as Baron Munchausen, an old radio comic whom both Gran and I
enjoyed. The Baron used to say, in a heavy Teutonic accent, 'He
vas effervesscent und I'fe neffer zeen him ven he effer vasn't.'
Gran, I still think that sentiment appropriately describes your
ebullient attitude toward life, your family and your friends.
You brought a special joy into our lives, and we miss you."
Gran's family, friends and classmates celebrate
the joy he brought to their lives rather than mourn the fact
that he is no longer with them. They are thankful for the time
they had to know and love him. The Class of 1946 is proud to
proclaim, "Well Done, Gran; Be thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his family
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