Drafted in 1942, our Dad was assigned to the Navy. After boot camp, he reported to the USS J. Douglas Blackwood, which was under construction in Philadelphia. He saw the ship commissioned in 1943 and then sailed through the Panama Canal to the Marshall Islands to conduct vital convoy screening work in the Pacific Theater. He advanced to a Second-Class Petty Officer Yeoman serving until 1945. He earned an engineering degree and pursued graduate studies under the G.I. Bill.

He married his wife, Jane, and raised six children. He did not share much about his experiences, but we knew his service was a source of pride and his education a valued benefit. What he did share was the music of the times. He often prodded us out of bed with his rendition of Irving Berlin's "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning". We miss his warm smile - and his songs.