|
RICHARD CASSELL BAUGHMAN was
born at Ft. Benning, GA, to COL Richard
Longworth Baughman ’24 and Mary Cassell
Baughman. An “Army brat,” Dick grew up at
various posts around the country, including
West Point, where his father taught math, and
Washington, DC, where Dick’s brother, Don
’57, was born. Sadly, in 1943, Dick’s father
died in an aircraft accident.
A 1949 graduate of Woodrow Wilson
High School, Washington, DC, Dick was an
outstanding football player elected All-City
Tackle and All Metro Lineman. He liked to
dance, played the piano, sang in the church
choir, and was a leader in the church youth
group. After high school, Dick spent a year
at Sullivan’s Preparatory School, along with
friend Landon Spilman. In high school, the
two played football together, double dated,
and founded a high school fraternity, becoming
lifelong friends and later enjoying reunions
and vacations together.
At West Point, Dick played Plebe football
and lacrosse. New to lacrosse, he practiced
faithfully and participated in off -season
training. Later, he left the Corps Squad team
to coach and play for Company H-2. Dick
was also on the brigade champion swimming
team. He sang in the glee club and served on
the hop committee. He was not a “hive,” but,
most important, he was a friend to all.
Dick chose Infantry, attending the basic
course, Ranger School, and Airborne School.
He and a group of classmates volunteered
for Korea but were assigned to the Panama
Canal Zone. ere, Dick led a platoon in the
33rd Infantry Regiment (later designated the
20th Infantry) and was the aide to General
Hightower in the Caribbean Command.
Subsequently, Dick and several other bachelor
classmates received assignments to Ft.
Campbell, KY, and the elite 101st Airborne
Division, where Dick was a company XO in
the 327th Infantry. Recognized as a leader, he
then commanded a rifle company. Dick and
the Panama/Ft. Campbell bachelor group
then returned to Ft. Benning for the Advanced
Course, where they were promoted to captain.
Dick and two other classmates rented a house
and enjoyed the social life of Columbus, GA.
After Ft. Benning, the group went their
separate ways. In 1961, Dick enrolled at
Vanderbilt University, earning a master of
arts degree in psychology prior to assignment
to the USMA faculty. Dick had been a con-
firmed bachelor, but, during a blind date
at Vanderbilt, he met his future wife, Susan
Mckeand, marrying her in December 1962
in Nashville.
At West Point, Dick taught in the Military
Psychology and Leadership Department and
was officer-in-charge of the lacrosse team and
president of the adult Bible class. He helped
coach the Army “B” Squad lacrosse team and
officiated at “C” Squad games. He also refereed
for the youth league on post and at the
New York Military Academy.
In 1965, Dick was sent to Viet Nam,
serving as a district advisor in the Bac Lieu
province in Military Assistance Command
Vietnam (MACV) Psychological Operations
(PSYOPS). Afterwards, with wartime experience,
he reported to Ft. Bragg to teach at
the Special Warfare School. In 1969, he attended
Command and General Staff College,
followed by assignment to the Office of
the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations,
International and Civil Affairs Division. In
1972, Dick went back to Vietnam for his second
tour in MACV/PSYOPS. ere, Dick
was awarded the Viet Nam Gallantry Cross,
the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the
Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and campaign
medals. In 1973, Dick returned from Viet
Nam to serve as the professor of military science
at Western Maryland College, retiring
from the Army in 1976. Dick and his family,
which now included Richard, Jr., William
(Mack), and Ann, then moved to Nashville.
Dick worked for Hospital Affiliates, a large
hospital management company, and eventually
became a headhunter for hospital administrators.
As always, he was involved with his
church, serving as a Stephen Minister and an
elder in the Presbyterian Church. For 17 years,
he and a friend delivered Meals on Wheels,
and Dick tutored adults in the local GED
program. Dick also polished his golf game. In
1996, after retiring from his civilian career, he
continued his dedication to the Presbyterian
Church. His disdain for discrimination, his
compassion for the poor, his empathy for older
people, his gratitude for everything he had,
and his boundless love for his family all came
out of his acknowledgement that life and everything
good in it are gifts from God.
The military was another strong influence
in Dick’s life. In particular, he loved West
Point, the alma mater he shared with his father
and brother. He also loved our country. He
was fascinated by our founders and national
history, especially the Revolutionary War and
its battles. Dick possessed a deep sense of duty
and honor before he went to West Point, and
his four years there made it second nature to
him. Susan remembers, “Honesty and integrity
were just a part of who he was. He was
definitely a soldier, but he was a gentle soldier.”
Dick’s eldest son, Richard, in a letter written
shortly before Dick’s death, wrote, “ The older
I get, the more I realize how much I have been
shaped by the family you and mom created
for us. I am so grateful to have grown up in
that family.”
In the fall of 2001, Dick was diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer and passed away
shortly thereafter. Dick had donated his body
to Vanderbilt University Medical School.
Later, his ashes were interred at Westminster
Presbyterian Church. Close friend and classmate
Frank Hart remembers Dick as “an individual
of great integrity. He had a good personality,
was fun to be with yet had a serious
side and was one to whom one could turn for
studied and serious advice. He really represented
the best of West Point’s values. He was
a model for others.”
Well done Dick. Be thou at peace.
|
