The Anatomy of a Hudson Knight – The Caldwell Memorial, a wood-block print in color, was carved by Dick Moses, an art instructor at the University of Illinois, in memory of one of the most outstanding, the most beloved young men of our time, Captain Joseph Grady Caldwell. Not only the men of the Class of 1960, but everyone who knew Joe, admired and respected him. Scholar, athlete, soldier and above all, a Christian -–as his life took form – he served God’s might. He was the true Hudson Knight.

Joe was born on 16 May 1938 in Sanford, Florida, but early in his life he moved with his family to Miami, and lived there until he joined the Class of  1960 in  1956.

As a student at Miami Senior High School, Joe was outstanding scholastically and was a member of several academic, social, and civic clubs – but he is best remembered in Miami as a football star. As a measure of his excellence on the gridiron, he was named to all–State, all-Southern, and all-American high school football teams. In the course of attaining these laurels Joe set athletic records which should stand for years, and he did so without putting himself above his teammates.

In May 1965, the Joe Caldwell Award and trophy was established for presentation each year to the most outstanding student in Miami Senior High School. It is the only trophy in the history of the school to be named in memory of an individual.

Hal N. Black, principal of Miami Senior High School, remarked at the time the award was inaugurated that the new trophy was unique – and properly so – because of its association with a man as unique as Joe Caldwell. 
Anyone who ever heard of Joe, but did not know him personally, might expect that he would list football first among his achievements as a cadet. But Joe’s friends knew better; they knew and admired Joe Caldwell the Sunday School teacher, the man who considered service to God his most important work. Joe’s firm, but quiet personality was a real witness to his abiding faith in Jesus Christ. He gave freely of himself, and many men in the Army today owe a part of whatever success they have achieved to Joe’s long hours of counseling.

But there is no denying that Joe was also an athlete, a superb competitor in any sport he played. He could pitch a softball as fast as any man; he was feared on the lacrosse field; and he was a magnificent football player. His passing was especially beautiful to watch. On the defense he tackled skillfully and with reckless abandon. He hit Army’s “lonely end,” Bill Carpenter, for a 1958 victory record that surpassed any recent Army team. And in spite of several injuries during his playing days at West Point he still managed to set eight Academy passing records, some of which still stand. Joe’s courage, skill, and determination as an athlete brought him much glory: “most valuable player” on the 1959-60 Army team and “most valuable player” in the College All-Star football game in December 1959. With all these honors, Joe remained a modest man – scholarly, quiet, dignified.

After graduation, Joe married Genevieve “Gi Gi” Mathers, and the couple proceeded to endear themselves to an ever-increasing circle of friends. 
Joe’s first duty station was Fort Belvoir where he attended the Engineer Officers Basic Course. Then came the Airborne and Ranger schools at Fort Benning, followed by an assignment with the 307th Engineer Battalion of the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.

Joe continued to make new friends at Fort Bragg, and in his own special way he changed the lives of many people. His humility, and his quiet understanding way made him friend to both officers and enlisted men.
It was at Fort Bragg that Joe’s son, Daniel Scott, was born. This fine boy, who is growing in the image of Joe, was the light of Joe’s life. 
Joe returned to the Academy in 1962 as an assistant football coach, a job he especially liked because it gave him the opportunity to work closely with young athletes in the sport he loved best. He did an outstanding job as a coach and the cadets who played under him were very much aware that this soft-spoken soldier-coach was giving them an inner strength that made their lives a little better.

Having completed his temporary tour with the Army coaching staff, Joe returned to Fort Bragg and the 82d Division, but not for long. Within a matter of months, he was transferred to the 809th Engineer Battalion then stationed in Thailand. One of his first assignments upon joining his new battalion was the construction of a 65-meter bridge at Pahnom Sarakom, a job which he completed with characteristic skill, enthusiasm, and dispatch. Midway through his Thailand tour, Joe moved to Bangkok where he became procurement officer. There he did another excellent job, saving the government much money on local construction purchases.

In addition to his usual military duties in Bangkok, Joe worked closely with the chaplain in establishing a weekly Bible study group, which, under Joe’s personal leadership, resulted in noticeably increased church attendance. 
After a year overseas, Joe returned to the States and an assignment at the university of Illinois where the Army sent him for graduate study leading to a master’s degree in civil engineering.

H.E. Carter, acting Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Illinois, wrote of Joe Caldwell, the student: “We know of his outstanding record and he gave every indication of continuing it here. We are proud of the things he stood for.”

Throughout his service career, Joe was a leader in the Officer’s Christian Union. Since his death he has been the subject of several articles in religious publications, and he seems to have left lasting impressions on his contemporaries. His friends knew him as an outstanding example of Christian manhood, one who placed spiritual success far above material success.

I recall that Joe once remarked after his mother passed away, that it is not so much for our loved ones that we grieve, as for ourselves. Our grief should not be for Joe, for he is now with the Lord he loved so well, but for a world that has lost a great man. God used Joe powerfully in reshaping many men’s lives. If, as it has been said, a good life is not measured in terms of days or years but by what is done in that time allotted us, then Joe Caldwell certainly lived a good, full life.

“Well done thou good and faithful servant; be thou at peace.”

                                                                                                   A Friend