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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Nov '95
Richard Glenn Carnright No. 15919 Class of 1946
Died 17 February 1992 in Tacoma, Washington, aged 67 years. Interment:
Fox Island Cemetery, Fox Island, Washington
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Born 10 September 1924 in Mattoon, Illinois, Dick
spent his formative years in the Chicago area and graduated from
Proviso High School in Maywood in 1942. His father was an officer
in the Army who was called to active duty with the Illinois National
Guard and served in the South Pacific. It was natural for Dick
to strive for an appointment to West Point, joining the Class
of 1946 on 1 July 1943.
Cadet life presented no serious problems for Dick.
One of his roommates, Clair Book, recalled: "Dick was a
great roommate and friend. He could be both serious and humorous
almost at the same time. He was a true, loyal and reliable friend,
and I was proud to have spent those years with him." It
was no surprise when Dick opted to become an air cadet in April
1945. He graduated with his wings as second lieutenant in the
Army Air Forces.
Dick took transition training at Enid Army Air
Base, Oklahoma, after graduation leave. While at Enid, he married
Jean V. Tait in September 1946. From Enid, Dick was assigned
to the 9th Bomb Squadron at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. He
became one of the original members of the Strategic Air Command
(SAC) and flew and commanded B-29s and B-52s. His SAC assignments
took him to Chatham Air Force Base, Georgia, and March Air Force
Base, California. In 1958, Dick was selected as a tactical officer
at the newly authorized Air Force Academy. Next he went to Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base, Ohio. Dick and Jean were divorced in 1966. He
and Pat Hall were married in 1967 in Wichita, Kansas. He also
attended the Air War College and gained a master's degree from
George Washington University. In 1969, Dick was selected to attend
the Defense Language Institute preparatory to assignment with
the Joint Brazil-U.S. Military Commission in Rio de Janeiro.
There he served as Deputy Chief until he retired as a colonel
in 1974.
After retirement, Dick moved to his wife Pat's
home state of Washington, and they lived on Fox Island until
his death. During this time he worked on the Alaska Pipeline
as a control tower operator and as a realtor in the Fox Island
area until 1988.
He loved golf and fishing, so his chosen retirement
area was a perfect match for his interests. Dick died on 17 February,
1992. He was survived by his wife, Pat; four children, Mary Elizabeth,
Shelley Jean, Richard Glenn, Jr. and William Malcolm and a sister,
Nancy Mensen.
Dick Carnright left a void in the community when
he died. A neighbor, Mary Worden, wrote:
"I knew Dick Carnright as a neighbor. We had no trouble
becoming friends. The Northwest seemed to suit him perfectly.
His pleasures were his home, his animals-two cats, later a dog-and
always the natural world around him. But don't think from this
that he ever lost his interest in the military, He read newspapers,
magazines, books. The books he read-histories, biographies-always
seemed to be about war, and that doesn't rule out Shakespeare.
"Dick was a fine man--interesting and interested in the
world and nature, kind, considerate and fun, with a wry sense
of humor. Over the years we became the kind of friends who are
there for each other in good times or bad."
His friends and family all remembered the same
qualities about Dick: kindness, gentleness, sense of humor, lover
of animals and nature, humbleness and compassion. There isn't
much more that anyone could ask to be remembered by. Dick demonstrated
a subtle sense of humor by writing stories through the eyes of
Maxine Anne Carnright-the family dog.
Excerpts from these stories say a lot about how
Dick viewed the world.
MEMO FOR DOGGIES OF FOX ISLAND:
It has come to my attention that there is a bill pending in the
State Legislature to eliminate subsidies for the "Bones
for Dogs Program (BFPD)" The cat lobby, naturally is against
us. Join with me this coming Monday for a march on Olympia. Remember
our call to arms, "A Bone in Every Pot."
Maxine Anne Carnright, Chairperson BFDP
MEMO TO MEMBERS OF FIDO (Fox Island Doggie Organization)
SUBJECT: Thoughts About UPS (Universal Puppy Society)
1. I don't know about you, but I get very upset when the UPS
van comes by and scoops up every puppy in sight. They say they
are redistributing the puppy population.
2. I have learned that the puppies are sent to a training camp
run and funded by the CIA (Canine Infiltration Association).
They're dropped by puppy chute in Eastern Europe and the Soviet
Union. They send back security information to the CIA. I'm as
patriotic as all of you, but if all our puppies are sent overseas,
who will control the cat population at home? FIDO members unite.
Bark a lot and maybe nip at the heels of the UPS drivers
Maxine Anne Carnright, CEO, FIDO
Dick's stories tell a lot about his wry sense of
humor and his ability to laugh at some of the more serious aspects
of life. His family, friends and classmates will remember him
always with warm affection.
The Class of 1946 is proud to join his family to
say: "Well Done, Dick; Be Thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife, Pat
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