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Home > Blogs > Hamilton News and Issues > Archives > 2010 > June > 01
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
City salutes veteran; more on Memorial Day crash
Staff writer Richard 0 Jones had a fantastic story last week about Hamilton’s Albert McGuire, who received his high school diploma some 73 years after dropping out due to a bout with TB.
Excerpt:
Not only is he a highly decorated veteran of World War II, but he also worked for Champion Papers for 45 years, was married to the same woman for 67 years until her death and raised four sons, who have in turn honored him with 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
But there has been one nagging deficit, so in honor of his 90th birthday on March 3, his sons set out to fill it.
“My brother, Tim, called me and said that Dad was somewhat ashamed that he never graduated from high school,” Michael McGuire said. “So we contacted the district office to see if we could make that happen.”
In 1937, Albert McGuire came down with tuberculosis, and on the advice of his doctors, he dropped out of school to recover. After a year, he went to work at the Estate Stove Co. and married his sweetheart, Ruth Allen.
Then the war came and McGuire went to Europe in January 1943, landing on Utah Beach and touring France, Belgium and Germany with the 224th Quartermaster Repair Company in the First Army.
Although he came back with a lot of medals, he never got around to getting his diploma.
But the Hamilton City School District was pleased to present him with a diploma at the school board meeting Tuesday, May 25.
The following night, Mr. McGuire was recognized by City Council, who provided he and his family with a proclamation and more. It was a big thanks, followed by a well-deserved standing ovation.
Not many can say they have their own day (at least officially), and it’s a small penance considering Mr. McGuire’s sacrifice.
Thank you, Mr. McGuire (and his family who was present last week and was clearly moved by council’s actions) for your service to the Hamilton community and our country. Little else is more important.
On a sort of related note, we had another WWII veteran lose control of his vehicle and run into a crowd of people lining up for the Memorial Day parade in West Chester on Monday morning, May 31.
It was a chaotic scene, according to those I spoke with yesterday, but it could have been a heckuva lot worse. Everyone injured (including the driver) is expected to recover, and Administrator Judi Boyko was supposed to be in the subject car, but wasn’t.
Tragedy was averted here, folks, without a doubt.
More on this is expected to be released today and throughout the week, so stay tuned.
