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<em>Godwin “Ski” Ordway III</em> faced up to all the world had to offer and epitomized the true warrior/soldier. He challenged himself on every level, which is an integral part of what made him an extraordinary man, a dear friend, a loving husband, and a rare human being. Ski lived a life full of love, faith, and hope.</p>
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Ski was born at Ft. Benning, GA into an Army family. His father, COL Godwin Ordway Jr. ’25, was a West Pointer, and his grandfather, Godwin Sr., was a career Army officer who helped settle the West. Ski’s great-grandfather, Albert Ordway, was a Civil War general, and Ski’s distant cousin, Sergeant John Ordway, was a key member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.</p>
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Ski graduated from Punahou High School in Honolulu, HI in 1950, having led the school’s football, basketball, and baseball teams. As graduation approached, the Korean War began, and COL Ordway was ordered to Korea. Ski had watched the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor when he was 10 years old, and now he was watching his father deploy into harm’s way. It was then that Ski committed to four goals that would shape his life: attend West Point and play football for Army, graduate from the Academy, lead soldiers in the Army, and live life to the fullest.</p>
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Ski began his Army career in July 1950 when he enlisted and was sent to the Academy prep school at Stewart Air Force Base, NY to await an appointment to West Point. At the Academy, Ski was a good student, but it was on the fields of friendly strife that he made the greatest impact. He played baseball and varsity football all four years, boxed for one year, and even found some time for the Fishing Club. Through sheer commitment and desire, he excelled in every activity. On the day Ski received the Army Athletic Association Trophy for being the Class of ’55 cadet who had contributed the most to Army athletics, Coach Earl Blaik remarked to Ski’s parents, “Your son had no business playing college football, but I could not stop him.” One of his teammates called Ski the “inspiring unsung hero” of the team. Such was Ski’s legacy at West Point.</p>
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Upon graduation, Ski was commissioned in the Infantry, a branch he selected to fulfill the third of his four lifetime goals—to lead soldiers. From his first assignment in Korea with the 1st Cavalry Division during 1955–57 to his last assignment at West Point during 1982–83, Ski followed the normal career assignment pattern of most Infantry officers. In Ski’s case, because of his great reputation as a teacher and coach, assignments to Germany, the Air Force Academy, and West Point included assignments to the football programs at these installations.</p>
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Ski volunteered twice for duty in Viet Nam. In 1965, he served as an advisor to the Army of Viet Nam. During his second tour, 1968–69, he commanded the 2d Squadron, 7th Cavalry. Operating north of Tay Ninh, The 2-7th was instrumental in halting the infiltration of the North Vietnamese Army forces from Cambodia and stopping a major attack on Landing Zone Jamie. For his outstanding performance and bravery under fire, Ski was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for Valor, testimony to his accomplishment of his third goal: to lead soldiers.</p>
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The highlight of Ski’s military career occurred during an assignment to the Washington, DC area in the early 1970s. It was then that he met Ute Knoll, the young lady who ended his bachelorhood. Ski and Ute married in 1976, and together they staked out a life of love and adventure, sharing a commitment to each other, their friends, and their community that lasts until this day.</p>
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Ski and Ute retired to Colorado Springs in 1983. Ski’s concern for those less fortunate drove him to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, and for eight years he applied his talents towards building at least two houses a year. There also was time to enjoy life to the fullest, his fourth life goal, during his last 20 years of retirement. Fly-fishing was his link to the world around him. He saw in nature the real meaning of life. He understood the secret of the rainbow trout, the mystery of the running stream, the joy of the wildlife, and the beauty of Mother Nature. As a classmate remarked, “Ski’s positive attitude, his love of life, his respect for all, and his faith in his God characterized what we all loved about him.”</p>
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Ski was diagnosed with cancer in November 2002. With every bit of bad news or failed attempts to curtail his suffering, his faith never wavered. As a classmate, now a doctor, stated, “He was a patient who inspired me to be a better doctor.” Throughout this ordeal, Ski remained optimistic and filled with faith, confident that God would provide.</p>
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At his passing in April 2003, all of those who knew Ski realized how enriched we were by his love for Ute, his commitment to his life’s work, his dedication to his faith, his good humor, and his benevolent spirit. Few people in life cross your path and leave footprints that cannot be eroded by time. Ski left his footprints imbedded in the souls of all with whom he came in contact.</p>
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Ski left us with one last thought: “I am with you still, I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. Do not think of me as gone, I am with you still, in each new dawn.”—The Native American Prayer</p>
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Rest in peace, dear brother.</p>
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<em>Ute Ordway and Rich Cardillo</em></p>