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JOHN EDWARD WEAVER, more affectionately
known as “Buck” or “Ed,” realized his dream
of playing football at West Point all four years,
earning Numerals and a Major “A.” But there
is more to his story than football.
Buck was born in Kingston, NY, the
third of four children of John L. and Valeria
Weaver. In his youth, he was active in the Boy
Scouts, the Catholic Church, and athletics. By
the time he graduated from Kingston High
School in 1948, he was a four-year letterman
in four sports: football, basketball, baseball,
and track. Voted Athlete of the Decade of the
’40s by the Kingston Daily Freeman, he was recruited
by all of the major athletic powers at
the time. The football tradition at West Point
and his love for the Academy, however, made
choosing Army an easy decision.
After graduation from high school, the
Army Athletic Association sent Buck to Valley
Forge Military Academy for post-high school
academic and athletic work. In June 1949, he
graduated from Valley Forge and entered West
Point a month later. After Beast Barracks, he
was assigned to Company A-1. While Buck
was recruited to play football, his athletic
abilities crossed over into basketball and baseball,
where he was outstanding every year as a
cadet. Perhaps because of the time spent playing
sports, he experienced problems in one
class and was set back a year. His desire to
graduate from the Academy gained him reentry
into the Class of 1954, however, and he
joined Company M-2. He remained an integral
part of that company’s activities, including
major reunions.
Ed will always be remembered for his truly
outstanding athletic ability, coupled with his
intelligence, character, determination, and
work ethic. Buck was a star in so many ways.
He won letters every year, not only in football,
but also in basketball and baseball, and he was
a regular starting offensive end on the football
team. Given today’s emphasis on specialization,
it is difficult to find any athlete who
can excel in three major sports at the intercollegiate
level while maintaining the high bar set
for academics at the Academy. John Edward
Weaver achieved that goal.
Following graduation, Ed was commissioned
as an Air Force second lieutenant, and
his first assignment was to Bolling Field in
Washington, DC. There he played football
on the inter-service team that won a national
championship while he played for them.
During this tour he met Sarah Hood, and they
were married soon thereafter. At our reunions,
Buck often spoke of his beloved Sally and his
three children. His family was the highest priority
in his life.
In 1957, Buck resigned from the Air Force.
While remaining in the Air Force Reserves, he
developed a very successful business career in
the financial world. He later returned to active
duty for about four years and served a tour in
Viet Nam. During this period, he also attended
the Air War College and earned an MBA
from Auburn University. His military honors
included a Legion of Merit and a Meritorious
Service Medal.
Following his release from active duty,
Buck became very active in the political
process in Maryland. He held leadership
positions in a number of Democratic Party
organizations, and he served as an aide to a
Maryland State Senator. Later, for 15 years, he
served as a special assistant to the Secretary of
State of Maryland in Annapolis. At one time,
he was also a deputy sheriff in Prince George’s
County, MD. He continued to serve in the
reserves and retired in 1984 as a colonel with
30 years of service. During his tenure of public
service, he played a major role in designing
and erecting a Viet Nam Memorial in his
home state of Maryland.
Buck remained a very active person during
his entire lifetime. His hobbies involved
him in activities with Ducks Unlimited, the
Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American
Legion, Disabled American Veterans, the
Elks, Fleet Reserve, and the Association of
Graduates. Buck loved to drive the BIG red
truck as a volunteer for the Fire Department
in Oxon Hill. And there was no job too
small when help was needed at St. Columba
Catholic Church. Each task he assumed was
done with quiet determination and always
carried to completion.
If any graduate exhibited how a life after
graduation from West Point should be lived,
Ed did. He lived out the true meaning behind
GEN MacArthur’s famous quote: “Upon the
fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that
upon other fields, on other days, will bear the
fruits of victory.” Buck would view this quotation
every time he entered the old gym, and
in playing three major sports, the motto was
drilled into his memory almost daily.
On 18 Oct 1995, after a long illness,
Buck passed away at the hospital at Andrews
Air Force Base. He left his beloved wife of 37
years, Sally Weaver of Oxon Hill; three children:
John E. Weaver Jr. of Newport, RI;
Anne M. Lewis of Bedford, TX; and Paul T.
Weaver of Oxon Hill; and nine grandchildren.
Sarah “Sally” Hood Weaver went home
to the Lord on 18 May 2000.
John Edward Weaver: Rest in peace, thou
good and faithful servant.
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