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John Robert Klein was
born on March 21, 1933 in Flushing, Queens, NY. He was one of the
youngest members of the USMA Class of 1954, commencing his years at
West Point immediately following his high school graduation. John’s
father was Arthur A. Klein, USMA Class of 1922, and his mother was
Virginia Douglass Klein. John had a sister, Virginia D. Lengnick, a
brother, Arthur A. Klein Jr., and many nephews and nieces. His
lineage included an uncle, Robert W. Douglass Jr. (Major General,
USAF), and a cousin, Robert W. Douglass III ’50 (Colonel, USAF).
John attended public schools in Queens, but then went to Brooklyn
Technical High School in Brooklyn, NY, a school with very strict
entrance requirements. Nevertheless, he was known to occasionally
skip a few classes in order to visit his girlfriend and future wife,
Irene Longstrom, who attended Bryant High School in Long Island
City, Queens, NY.
Despite all of the pressures of being a cadet, John
enjoyed life at West Point. Although his father hadn’t warned him
about plebe year, as a somewhat savvy New Yorker, John fared quite
well. He was especially good at math and was always willing and
available to help others. Although he generally appeared to be
quiet, John had an excellent sense of humor. In one especially
notable instance, John was caught sleeping in his room on the alcove
rail and was written up by the duty officer for “sleeping without
sheets.” In addition to other cadet activities, John was a valued
member of the Howitzer staff
on which he served for all four years. He and his roommates in D-2,
Paul Garneau and Gene Procknal, remained good friends and stayed in
contact throughout their lives.
During First Class year, John suffered a monumental
disappointment when he learned that his longtime goal of receiving a
commission in the Air Force was not to be realized due to his
diminishing eyesight, the same malady that curtailed his father’s
service career. John did, however, attain another goal of long
standing on the day following graduation: marriage to Irene in the
Cadet Chapel in which he had been baptized as an infant. Paul and
Gene were part of the wedding party.
Following graduation, John attended and graduated
from Brooklyn Law School, subsequently spending some of his effort
tangling with the legal issues of real estate and insurance, but
concentrating primarily in the law of wills and trusts. He retired
from active business in May of 1969.
A devoted family man, John was well-loved and
respected by each member of the family. They describe him as being a
loving father and husband. He taught Sunday School at the family
Lutheran Church and was the financial secretary there. John made a
determined effort not to let his visual handicap hinder the quality
of life for the family. Family members happily recall the great
times they had on their outings and vacations at Lake George and
Nags Head. Also recalled by the family are fun local events that
included apple picking. John had season tickets for the New York
Islanders hockey team and often attended their games. They also had
season tickets to all West Point home football games and enjoyed
attending them as well as enjoying the cadet parades. On the return
from a football game on one weekend, John clipped an abutment at the
Palisades tollbooth resulting in a flat tire. John and Irene’s son
Douglas fondly recalls that when they returned from another game the
following weekend, John chose to traverse the same tollbooth and
maneuvered through it without incident, thereby displaying his
determination to work with and overcome his handicap.
Throughout the many years of their civilian life,
John and Irene maintained close contact with the class and several
classmates in particular. Soon after Gene’s untimely death in 1962,
John completed his Memorial Article, one of the very first published
for a member of his class. Shortly after John’s death, Paul, the
last survivor of the three close roommates, began work on a Memorial
Article for John but died before completing same. In addition to his
former roommates, John and Irene especially appreciated their
ongoing relationship with Bob Bullock (F-2) and his wife Joan.
After suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for a few
years, John died in a nursing home in Huntington, Long Island on
September 9, 2011. In addition to his wife Irene, he is survived by
their son Douglas, their daughter Nancy, his brother Arthur, his
sister Virginia and many nieces and nephews.
A proud graduate of West Point who rose above his
disappointment at being deprived of his longtime goal of a service
career, John found success with his civilian career and his
relationship with family, classmates and other friends. Recognized
and appreciated as a truly great guy, he is truly missed.
— Douglas
Klein, son, and Irene T. Klein, wife |
