His four years at the Academy were marked with outstanding achievements in sports. Ed excelled in track, especially high jumping, throughout his tenure at West Point. He was a valued member of the Debating and Art Clubs and enjoyed recognition as a real challenger in the Chess Club.

This cadet looked forward to weekends and filled them with lots of trips “down home” to Manhattan; it was only a bus ride away and his family was there. The return trip to the Academy was made with his Dad in the family car when the weekend was over. Usually a few companymates hopped into the back seat delighted to have a relaxed and easy trip back to the barracks.

After graduation Ed was assigned to the Air Defense Artillery Branch. He attended the Basic Course for that discipline and headed for Ranger School in January 1955 with several other graduates from his ’54 class. Upon successful completion of Ranger School, he travelled to his next assignment - the Nike Missile Unit at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, NY. Once again he was in the environs of the Empire State.

It was at this point that Ed opted for a branch transfer to the Ordnance Corps. That decision was rewarded with a choice honor - selection for the master’s degree program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He received his degree in engineering science with distinction in 1960. It is a common occurrence for Academy graduates to find their fellow classmates in the many places they are posted or to which they travel. Student days at Purdue were no exception.

It was here that Ed once again enjoyed the camaraderie of his classmates as those military types often studied and worked together on homework problems from the engineering courses at the university. This connection served to strengthen the bond that already existed among them.

Purdue always held a very special memory for Ed. He was an ardent golfer, and he had chosen a student apartment that overlooked a golf course in that college town. He was absolutely delighted when the golf course owner arranged for him to play golf starting at the fifth hole. This enabled him to trot out the back door  of his dwelling and tee off. It was a source of great pleasure for Ed whose game was at a high level.

He left the military in 1968 but continued in the work force as a government civilian at White Sands Missile Range. He delighted in the New Mexico desert and decided to make it his permanent home. His work there was identified with the development of the Stinger/Chapparal Weapons Systems. is was a dual operation with the goal of replacing the .50 caliber machine gun, which did not have sufficient range to be effective against targets of the future. The second effort was to develop versions of a shoulder fired and vehicle mounted surface to air missiles.

Ed and his wife, Jean, were now civilians, and they took the greatest joy and pleasure in the desert environs. It was a point of pride for him to see his efforts in the research and development area come to fruition. In the ensuing years Ed kept up the pace of his busy life as he and his wife raised their family enjoying the many peripheral activities that they pursued together. Sailing headed the list of adventures that Jean and Ed looked forward to. Year after year they would travel to Key West, sailing for weeks in open water, always finding newness in each day. The train trips they planned were an adventure in themselves. Ed’s passion for game boards culminated in a weekly “game club” he organized some twenty years ago. Numerous people of all ages would gather to play board games for hours. Having friends together always added a special pleasure to any given day.

Ed was a proud member of M-2. From plebe year through graduation that group of 33 men was a lively presence in the Corps of Cadets. Ed was an integral part of that group not only through school but through his life time as well.

In addition to his beloved wife, Jean, Ed is survived by his six children: Patrick, Michael, Susan, Paul, Peggy, and Mack. Nine grandchildren added to his family pride. The years between graduation from the Academy to now have passed all too swiftly, filled with memories of this stalwart member of M-2. His zest for life and devotion to his family will always be part of our memories: Devoted husband, father, companymate, and friend.

Grip hands. Be Thou at Peace.