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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Jul '92
Theodore George Zeh, Jr. No.15768 Class of 1946
Died 10 June 1990 in Clinton, Maryland, aged 65 years. Interment:
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
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Theodore George Zeh, Jr. was born on 15 January
1925 in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Known to his family and friends
as Ted, he stood out early in life as an excellent student. His
brother Richard recalled Ted's life before West Point: "....
His grades in school were nearly perfect, and when I entered
school each teacher would ask, 'Are you Ted Zeh's brother?' followed
by 'He was an excellent student, and I hope you will he just
as good.' He was a tough act to follow, but he was always there
when I needed him." He finished grammar school, with honors,
at St. Catherine of Siena and then attended Andrew Jackson High
School. Missing the regimen of military discipline, Ted returned
to LaSalle Military Academy to graduate as cadet colonel, at
the head of the entire battalion. Following a year at Fordham
University, Ted won an appointment to West Point and entered
on 1 July 1943 as a member of the Class of 1946.
Cadet life was relatively easy for Ted. His previous
experience at LaSalle Military Academy prepared him well. He
was a "spoony" cadet. One of his roommates, Al Wedemeyer,
recalled: "Ted was a well organized student who handled
most of USMA's academic challenges with relative ease. Ted worked
hard to make sure he was comfortably proficient in each subject
without struggling for the extra tenths that would have given
him a higher academic standing. ... Ted's outstanding attribute
as a roommate was his constant cheerfulness even in the face
of adversity. No matter what problem arose, he would be able
to come up with some positive aspect of the situation… Ted's
cadet life was greatly influenced by the fact that he selected
Pat to be his 'OAO' for a lifetime while he was at West Point....
During his final year at West Point, he was looking forward to
graduation and his subsequent marriage to Pat." Ted had
opted for flying training when it was offered in 1945 and, upon
graduation, pinned on the wings of an Army Air Corps pilot as
well as his second lieutenant bars.
Graduation leave saw Ted marry Joan Patricia Drennan
on 29 June 1946 at St. Albans, New York. The newlyweds traveled
first to Enid Air Force Base, Oklahoma, where Ted took transition
training to multi-engine aircraft. His first assignment was to
Carswell Air Force Base, Texas as B-36 co-pilot with the 436th
Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Wing. A fellow co-pilot, LTC Harry H.
George, USAF, (Ret), recalled their time together at Carswell:
"We were assigned to the same squadron flying 40 hour missions
in B-36's. Ted, Steve Hill '46 and I were all co-pilots. The
flights required five hours of pre-briefing and three hours of
debriefing. This was a record at that time, spending almost two
days on one flight! The current joke was that our wives would
check the mail at the door with the picture on the mantel to
be sure it was him. We were preparing for non-stop, non-refueled
flights to the Soviet Union if it became necessary. ... In 1964,
Ted was most helpful to me during a period of my hospitalization.
I will be forever grateful to him. Skeet and I miss Ted very
much. He will always be remembered as the 'sharp' lieutenant
with the sweet and loving Pat by his side."
In 1950, Ted became Adjutant, 436th Bomb Wing,
at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas. It was then to Walker Air
Force Base, New Mexico with the 6th Bomb Group. In 1953, the
Zehs moved to Lake Charles AFB, Louisiana, where Ted became a
B-47 aircraft commander. Next the Zehs moved to Plattsburgh AFB,
New York and Ted continued as a B-47 aircraft commander. His
tour with Strategic Air Command ended when Ted was selected to
attend Stanford University in 1958 to get his advanced degree
in industrial engineering. Following Stanford, Ted was assigned
as assistant plant representative for Space and Electronics with
General Dynamics Astronautics Division in San Diego, California.
Moving up in his chosen field, the Zehs moved to Andrews AFB,
Maryland, where Ted became chief, Quality Assurance Division,
Air Force Systems Command.
With a year out to attend the Air War College,
Ted next became project manager for Mobile Power for all services
in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. Ted received
the Legion of Merit for his work in this area. In 1970, Ted became
chief, Contract Placement Division, Headquarters, Department
of the Air Force. In 1975, he became director, Product and Production
Engineering, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense; he
kept this position until his retirement from the Air Force in
the grade of colonel in 1975. He was awarded his second Legion
of Merit upon retirement.
Ted's first venture into the civilian job market
was as a real estate sales agent. As with everything he did,
he prepared himself well and was successful by dint of hard work
and dedication to his clients. However, Ted disliked not being
able to spend predictable time with his family. So Ted joined
the staff of a new company, RAM, and became a major force in
the growth and success of that company. Ted was always receptive
to new ideas and procedures; he was a good listener and helped
many younger employees to advance in their careers. In 1981,
Ted had the first of a series of heart attacks that required
him to stop working. In April 1990, Ted underwent triple bypass
surgery in an attempt to remedy his congestive heart failure.
Ted died of heart failure on 10 June 1990 at Southern Maryland
Hospital, Clinton, Maryland. His survivors include his beloved
Pat; two daughters, Susan Hegedusich and Nancy Robinson; his
brothers, Richard and Robert; his sister, Genevieve Harbowy;
and one grandchild, Cassie Robinson.
There is an underlying sense of deep feeling for
a very special person when remembering the life of Ted Zeh. A
neighbor and friend for 26 years, LTC Helen Hendrickson, USAF
Ret., wrote: "Ted Zeh was a gentleman of the old school.
He was an honest and loyal man, loyal to his family, his country
and his profession. Ted never did anything halfway; he said that
if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. And Ted applied
this philosophy to all aspects of his life.... He was proud of
his daughters and encouraged them to widen their horizons, to
explore a variety of activities and develop well rounded capabilities
and personalities. The day Ted pinned second lieutenant bars
on his younger daughter's Air Force uniform was one of the highlights
of his retirement years… Ted was a faithful, practicing
Catholic; for many years he was an ecumenical minister and served
on the parish council. When my mother was paralyzed, Ted would
bring Holy Communion to her. He was a true friend."
Al Wedemeyer wrote: "Ted was an unselfish
individual who always was ready to pitch in and do his fair share
of any work to be done."
Ed Jernigan, an Air Force classmate, wrote: "His
faithfulness and sincerity drew you to him. He was a person you
could depend on to be fair, even-handed and consistent day in
and day out. You knew where he stood. He treated everyone equally.
Betty, my wife, and I thoroughly enjoyed knowing Ted and Pat."
His beloved Pat remembered that, above all, Ted's
best traits were integrity, loyalty and great devotion to his
Catholic faith. She saw him tested over their 43 years together,
and integrity was always there. He was the epitome of what a
West Pointer should be. He didn't talk about Duty, Honor, Country;
Ted Zeh lived his entire life by those tenets. The Class of 1946
is proud to declare, "Well Done, Ted; Be Thou at Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife, Pat
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