Karl T. Klock Jr.

Karl Theodore Klock, Jr. (Ted) was born to Karl T. and Gussie Klock on 10 April 1913 in Syracuse, New York. After graduating from high school, Ted studied engineering at Syracuse University for two years before attending a preparatory school prior to entering the Military Academy. During his second year at Syracuse he met Margaret (Peg) Hummer, destined to be his wife.

At West Point Ted took academics in stride, earning stars for three of his four years. He devoted many hours to helping other cadets less academically inclined than he. Ted said his best memories of cadet days were of Flirtation Walk with Peg, the times his stars were pinned on his blouse, and the special day he proposed to his O.A.O.

After receiving his diploma from the hand of General of the Armies, John J. Pershing, who had graduated 50 years earlier, Second Lieutenant Klock reported to his Engineer regiment at Fort DuPont, Delaware. A year later he married Peg, his devoted wife for 52 years.

Following Fort DuPont, Ted earned practical engineering experience on a huge earth dam construction project at Fort Peck, Montana. Next he studied for his master's degree in civil engineering at Cornell University prior to attending the Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Graduating in 1940 from the Engineer School, Ted was ordered to Fort Knox. There being no government quarters or civilian housing available, Ted and Peg exchanged their commutation of quarters for six long months in a tent.

After Pearl Harbor, Ted was ordered to Alaska, where he served on various islands and mainland locations for three years. After being transferred to Spokane, Washington for special training in construction of facilities for the Army Air Corps, Ted was shipped to Ie Shima in the Pacific to build a base from which to launch American bombers for raids on the home islands of Japan.

Just prior to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Ted was ordered to the Command and General Staff School. After completing the course, he was held over as an instructor. After Fort Leavenworth Ted was ordered to Washington where he served in the Pentagon and the Office of the Chief of Engineers. During this tour of duty he entered Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he was diagnosed as having chronic rheumatoid arthritis, a disease which plagued him for the rest of his life. He battled courageously and painfully through many surgeries and other treatments. Following the Washington tour Ted served successively in Germany; New York as PMS&T at City College; Omaha in an Engineer District; Taiwan as MAGG Engineer Advisor; Fort Belvoir again; and finally, on Governors Island, New York. In the latter assignment Ted was Army Engineer on the staff of Lieutenant General Gar Davidson, who had coached the Army team when Ted was a cadet. In 1965 the arthritis ended Ted's active duty.

Ted died suddenly on 14 March 1989 of an aneurism following a procedure to alleviate the ravages of arthritis. He was survived by his wife, Peg; daughter Elaine Codias; son Frederick; brother Richard; sisters Barbara Skvarch and Patricia Ziegler; grandchildren David and Barbara and step-grandchildren Tom and Cheri.

Sourced from Karl T. Klock's obituary.