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<em>Richard Ensign Myers</em> was born in Chicago, Illinois. His mother was an “Army brat,” the daughter of Dillard Clark, West Point Class of 1873, who served in both the Civil War and World War I. Her father would not send her to art school, so, after getting a degree in architecture at the University of Illinois, she worked long enough to send herself to the Chicago Art Institute, where she met and married Datus Myers, who came from an Oregon hop farm. Dick’s childhood was different, for his parents took him where their painting called them. Going with them to his father’s old home in Oregon, Dick attended first grade in a one-room, nine-grade school. There he learned to read, and through the years he was rarely without a book at his side, often reading a book a day. Education, after that, was spotty, and he remembered returning to Chicago fourth grade three times, never staying long enough to complete the work.</p>
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Eventually, the family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and built one of the first large adobe homes. He had an Indian boy as an older companion. They hunted and fished and were sometimes away from home for days. But it was time for more formal schooling, and he was sent to Los Alamos Ranch School, a prep school for Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. This school, with a small student body, was unique in demanding a high academic standard combined with outdoor life, camping and horseback riding in a mountain setting. During his fourth year, his mother informed him that she had obtained a West Point appointment for him.</p>
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Dick loved West Point from the time he entered. He was dubbed “Blackie” by his classmates because of his dark skin and hair. Following graduation and the “short course” at Randolph Air Force Base, he was ordered to Fort Clark, Texas, to serve with the 5th Cavalry. Problems at home caused him to resign his commission since he was not told he could take a year of leave without pay. He remained in the Reserves, however, and was recalled to active duty for World War II, going to the South Pacific with the 1st Cavalry Division. During the interim, he worked at various jobs and also spent a year in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin.</p>
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In 1938, he met Jean McGraw, a Powers Model who was visiting in San Antonio, and three months later they were married. They and two children were living in El Paso, Texas, after Dick was returned from the Pacific by Air Evac and retired for physical disability. They made a visit to Bastrop, Texas, and, deciding it would be a good place to raise the children, they bought a house and became permanent residents. Two more children were born there.</p>
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Unfortunately, Jean was stricken with Alzheimer’s disease at an early age. Dick kept her at home for as long as he could care for her, but her last ten or twelve years she was a “vegetable” in a nursing home. Not a day went by that he did not stop by to check on her, if he was in town, even though she was unaware. He kept busy as a tournament bass fisherman and earned over sixty trophies. He also fished at the Texas coast where he had a cabin. In addition, he was a ham radio operator.</p>
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After his wife’s death, he married another Jean, widow of classmate Bob Arnette, whom he had known since he and Bob were stationed together at Fort Clark. She was a local girl, home for the holidays from the University of Texas. At his 50th Reunion, they announced their engagement, were married the following month and moved to San Antonio. Together, they enjoyed relatively carefree years, traveling, playing bridge, having family and friends to visit and enjoying the company of local classmates and their wives. Those were happy days.</p>
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Because there were no previous indications of heart problems, his heart attack came as a big shock as they were getting ready to go to Fort Sam Houston for duplicate bridge. After angioplasty, he seemed to be doing well and enjoyed visits from his family, of which he was quite proud, but, a week later, he got out of bed and collapsed. His heart had ruptured.</p>
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Besides his widow, he is survived by daughters Jean, wife of Colonel Joe Sebesta; Cynthia, wife of Boris Orlin and Alice, wife of Calvin Hill; a son. Richard D. Myers; a sister, Eveline (Mrs. Patrick Foley) and seven grandchildren.</p>
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<em>Jean Annette Myers</em></p>