FORT LEE, Va. – The Quartermaster Corps installed 23 individuals into its honorary Hall of Fame during a Nov. 4 ceremony in Fort Lee’s Guest Auditorium.
The honorees included those not recognized last year when the QM Corps cancelled the event due to the threat of COVID-19.
Presiding over the ceremony was Brig. Gen. Michelle K. Donahue, 56th Quartermaster General. In attendance was Sgt. Maj. Jimmy Sellers, Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jorge Escobedo, Combined Arms Support Command CSM; as well as recipients, families and Quartermaster legends including retired Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg.
The event was livestreamed on the QM School Facebook page.
“The honor of being inducted is reserved for those select quartermaster professionals who have made singular, lasting and important contributions to the history and heritage of the Quartermaster Corps,” Donahue said in opening remarks.
Created in 1986, the Quartermaster Hall of Fame award is the highest form of recognition the corps offers. A selection board appointed by the Quartermaster General reviews all nominations for the high honor.
The inductees, who span nearly a century of service in excellence to the nation, come from around the total force. According to Donahue, the inductees have been instrumental in the success of not only their individual units, but also the entire corps.
“They’re dedicated professionals – some of whom are still serving the Army and nation – and others retired, but are still dedicated to the success of the Quartermaster Corps. These individuals recognized today have lived, and will forever represent, the corps’ Supporting Victory motto.”
Among those feted were three special, historical inductees including 101-year-old retired Army Maj. Anthony Grant, who fought in WWII and the Korean War.
Grant was drafted in April 1942 – less than six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He attended military occupational specialty training at Fort Lee and started his career as a clerk for the Quartermaster Corps. In less than a year, he was promoted to sergeant. By 1943, Grant became a warrant officer. After serving through two major wars and being stationed all over the world, he retired in 1962. (Read more at www.army.mil/article/251709)
Another special, historical inductee was Leonard “Lenny” Wilkens, who commissioned in the corps as a second lieutenant after graduating from Providence College, Rhode Island. While serving, Wilkens was drafted number six overall in the 1960 NBA Draft. He went on to play 15 seasons in the league.
Wilkins has a history of hall of fame nods. He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame class of 1989 as a player, and class of 1998 as a coach. He also was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as a member of the “Dream Team.” (Read more about Wilkins at www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-lenny-wilkens.)
A number of other awards were presented during the ceremony including the Ancient Order of Saint Martin merited to retired Maj. Gen. Richmond E. Beale Jr. The ceremony concluded with a change of honorary positions, welcoming the incoming honorary members of the corps.
“The legacy our inductees and their loved ones have left behind is unprecedented,” Donahue observed. “It’s documented in the halls of history and felt throughout our formations today. Their efforts are nothing less than impressive, and their professionalism and dedication serves as an inspiration to those still in uniform, as well as our future generations of quartermaster leaders.”
The remaining 2020 Quartermaster Hall of Fame Inductees are as follows:
Lt. Gen. Larry D Wyche
Maj. Gen. Dempsey D. Kee
Maj. Gen. Harold G. Bunch
Maj. Gen. Michael K. Jelinksy
Brig. Gen. Richard B. Diz
SES Guy C. Beougher
SES James B. Emahiser
Col. Robert L. Barnes, Jr.
Col. Joseph A. Brown
Col. David C. Clagett
Col. Alexander D. Davis
Col. William J. Flanagan, Jr.
Col. James B. Givens
Col. Glenn A. Israel
Col. William Patterson
CW5 Pablo A. Brown
CW5 Roberto L. Figueroa
CW4 Cornelius B. Williams
Sgt. Maj. William Frey
Sgt. Maj. Frederick Jackson
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