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Leonard G. DeVilbiss III,
better known to family and friends as Len or Lenny, was born on
December 17, 1930 in San Francisco, CA to Leonard J. and Ida Wielen
DeVilbiss. His twin brothers, Robert and Richard, were born two
years later, and the family was completed two years after that with
the birth of his brother Andy (ex-’58). The boys and their parents
enjoyed an especially close relationship.
When Len was seven the family moved north to the much smaller rural
community of Sebastopol, CA. They lived in a trailer while Len’s
father built their house. The family especially enjoyed the outdoor
activities available in their new area, such as picnicking, picking
fruit, and swimming. Len and his brothers Robert and Richard were
cast to portray three of the five Sullivan brothers in a brief,
early riverside scene in the 1944 film The Fighting Sullivans,
a film about the famous brothers who perished during World War II
when their ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine.
Len had a very active youth, especially during his years at Analy
High School. He was the school’s representative to California Boys
State in 1947, attesting to his status as a top, all-around student
and solid citizen. He was on the editorial staff of the high school
yearbook (as well as its sales manager), participated in theater
productions, and contributed to the success of the tennis team. His
high academic success also merited him membership in the California
Scholarship Federation. Additionally, Len was an Eagle Scout and
assistant scoutmaster. Although his high school did not have a
swimming team, Len developed into a fine swimmer by participating in
competitive swimming at the local community Ives Pool.
Following his high school graduation, Len studied for two years at
St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. He was pre-law and was an
outstanding member of the college’s championship swimming team,
helping to set one or more meet records.
In
the spring of 1950, Len received an appointment to West Point from
Congressman Hubert B. Scudder. Reporting along with his classmates
on July 5, 1950, he was assigned to Company C-l, for which he
continued his academic and swimming successes, becoming an academic
coach and participating on the Plebe Swimming Team and the Water
Polo Club.
Len was interviewed for a long article in the area newspaper, the
Santa Rosa Press Democrat, while he was home on leave following
plebe year. The article was titled “West Point ‘Great’ Says
Sebastopol’s Cadet DeVilbiss,” and it told of his appreciation for
being a cadet, an accomplishment that he considered “the fulfillment
of a dream, something he had wanted ever since he was a little kid.”
He said, “College was never like West Point...it will celebrate its
150th anniversary next year, and by now they’ve got it figured so
that they take every minute of your time.” And he told about a
cadet’s day, his not getting any leaves as a plebe, the subjects he
had taken, and his goal of standing high in his class academically
so that he might be commissioned in either the Corps of Engineers or
the Airborne Infantry.
The next Santa Rosa Press Democrat article about Len
DeVilbiss appeared in the December 31, 1951 issue and was entitled
“Cadet from Sebastopol Aboard Missing C-47.” After enjoying his
first Christmas leave at home with family and friends in Sebastopol,
Len had driven to Hamilton Field and boarded an Air Force C-47 to
return to West Point. The pilot radioed Williams Air Force base in
Chandler, AZ stating that the plane was encountering turbulent
weather and that he would soon be making an instrument landing there
as the plane had insufficient fuel to go further. Receiving orders
to descend based on his erroneous belief as to the plane’s location,
the pilot crashed into Armer Mountain some 50 miles northeast of
Phoenix. The impact was immediately fatal to everyone aboard: Len
and 10 of his classmates, 8 cadets from the class of 1952, 3 crew
members, and 5 other passengers.
Three of the nineteen cadets were buried at West Point. Their
caskets were met at the train station by an honor guard, and the
entire Corps lined the road to the cemetery, doing so at attention.
Len’s two roommates, Don Panzer and Mark McDermott, were flown to
California to console the family and attend the services. Len’s twin
brothers were unable to attend, as they were still serving in the
first Marine Division in Korea.
Shortly after the crash, Len’s father and Len’s youngest brother,
Andy, went to Arizona and climbed Armer Mountain in an attempt to
visit the site where Len had perished. Mr. DeVilbiss had an
especially difficult time accepting the death of his high-achieving
first born son in whom he had so much pride. His death in 1954 was
believed by many to be the result of a broken heart.
Making friends was easy for Len, helped along by his cheery smile
and optimistic attitude. The fact that that smile and optimism were
appreciated at the time and are still remembered by his friends and
classmates was evident by the enthusiasm with which they provided
information for this article after nearly two-thirds of a century.
The words of Laurence Binyon in his poem “For the Fallen” seem
particularly appropriate as those who knew Len reflect on their
memories:
“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.”
—
Family, Friends, and Classmates |
