Veterans Day is on Nov. 11, 2020, and we are honored to recognize the veterans in our Darlington Community. Throughout the month of November, we’ll highlight our veterans in several blogs and on social media. We hope that you follow along this month and help us honor all of our veterans.
Today’s blog features alumni from the 1940s.
Frank Barron (’48) served in the United States Navy from September 1952 to December 1956. He served on the USS EVERSOLE DD789, a destroyer, for three years. During the Korean War, he was an LT JG and served as Chief Engineering Officer. Frank shared that his time of service was “the greatest maturing thing ever.” His two children, Frank (’77) and Rebekah (’78), attended Darlington. Frank is also the grandfather of five Darlington alumni: Mary Sue (’04), Anne (’05), Mary Beth (’08), Emmy (’09), and Hannah (’10). Frank is a Life Trustee and the 1948 Class Agent.
After graduating from Darlington, Bill Clayton (’48) attended Davidson College for a year and then graduated from Georgia Tech in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science and ROTC commission. Bill served as a 1st LT in the Corp of Engineers for the U.S. Army from October 1952 to September 1954. His assignments were with 82 Airborne in Fort Bragg, N.C., and near Heidelberg, Germany, attached to Seventh Army. Bill shared, “I had many interesting assignments during my duty. The highlight of my duty was in Germany, where I meet my future wife, who was from Portland, Maine, and working for the CIA in Heidelberg.” Bill and his wife were married a year later in Washington, D.C.
Hollis Horton (‘44) was on the Darlington Football team as a post-grad. After graduation, he attended Auburn until the Spring of 1946 when he was drafted for the United States Army. Hollis shared, “basic training was easy after military training at Darlington.” He then went to Japan with the army and was assigned to General MacArthur’s Honor Guard until May 1947. In the Fall of 1947, he was discharged and went back to Auburn. Hollis graduated from Auburn in the Spring of 1950, lettering in track while he was there.
The late Tom Horton ('47) served in the Air Force as a jet pilot instructor at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. In the fall of 1954, Tom and a trainee from Italy were killed in a crash. While at Darlington, Tom was awarded All Mid-South guard on the undefeated Darlington football team.
Allen Brookins-Brown (’44) wrote a letter to the school to share about his time at Darlington and his service in the military. Enjoy the text from his letter:
My dedication to Darlington has been on-going since I (A Northerner) arrived from Des Moines (awful, don't go there) and was met at the Southern Rail station by Mr. Yankee and taken to my room on the third floor rear of “Old Main”.
I graduated in late ’43 and entered military service at a post in nearby Tennessee, then my whole life whizzed forward until I now find myself at 95 (“elderly" or "ancient” ), but with Darlington memories appearing in my so called mind almost daily. Fond memories, in no particular order, are Miss Bessie's frame store across from the main entrance, Mr. Judd, Dr. E.L. Wright, Dr. Wilcox (and his son, Bubba) Johnny Oschner and his brother, Mims (both now sadly gone), Allison Pell, my one roommate on the third floor rear of Old Main, Kenneth Williams, and later John Hills. And many more whose memories now escape, (typical for my age now). I also remember the kindness of the staff who found me work in town because of the absence of my dad, while he was on duty in the military. I was housed in the nice one story brick owned by a former teacher (I believe) and daily runs through the hilly forest beyond the main structure.
My life speeded forward from 6 October ’44 departing on the George Washington (a WWI German reparation vessel) and arriving in Marseilles on the 20 October (’44 and two weeks later in combat while bringing down artillery fire on a German machine gun, I was decorated with my first Bronze Star for (alleged) heroic action, the first of two such awards.
The winter of ’44-’45 viciously was cold and we were in holes in forests except for under a roof for four nights. During such, fully clothed (doubles everything) I often thought of the comfort of my third floor room at Darlington and wished I were there.
Leaving the University of Minnesota in ’50 and serving as an administrative aide to General George Patton in bad Nauheim, serving in Korea as Logistics Administrator for General James Van Fleet and holding charts for General (and President elect Eisenhower) and having a nightly shower (vs. three the entire winter of ’44-'45) still I often had thoughts of Darlington and its collective kindness.
Now, at 95, nearing the “end of the trail," I still have kind thoughts of Darlington and what it meant to me (and still does) and what I know will be important in the lives of the students there now.
If you are a veteran and haven’t had the opportunity to share your story and picture with us, please email alumni@darlingtonschool.org.
