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<em>John Elleman</em> was born in Ludlow Falls, Ohio, on 13 March 1896, the son of Thomas and Lydia Emeline Hawkins Elleman. His parents were Quakers and their faith reflected itself in the gentleness of their son.</p>
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When John was six years old his family moved to Richmond, Indiana, where he attended grade school and was graduated from high school. In the fall of 1913 he entered Purdue University, joined the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and majored in civil engineering.</p>
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In 12 June 1916, John Elleman and Bonner Fellers met in Richmond, Indiana, and took the Pennsylvania train to New York City. Both were Quakers, both were bound for West Point, and neither had ever seen the ocean. Mid-afternoon on 13 June they took the subway for Coney Island, rode underground until after dark, but never found their destination and never saw the ocean until two years later.</p>
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The 14th of June was the first day of Beast Barracks. With naive eagerness to get a head start at the Academy, they arrived among the very first of some 320 bewildered new cadets. Throughout their Academy days John and Bonner were roommates. They never once had even the slightest disagreement, although, on a plebe hike, John won six month’s ice cream on a bet that Bonner could smoke a cigar without getting sick.</p>
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Academics gave John little trouble, and he wore stars his plebe year. Upper classmen and classmates quickly learned of his three years of civil engineering at Purdue, and many came to him for help. Some time after graduation he went back to Purdue to earn a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering.</p>
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John never seemed to get any demerits. At Saturday inspection his roommates would invariably pick up one or more "skins,” but John never did. He was a member of the Vigilance Committee, he was a marksman, and he loved boodle.</p>
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On 1 November 1918, the original Class of 1920 was graduated after having compressed almost two years of the curriculum into six months. The Class left West Point with visions of being in the thick of World War I within a few months. Eleven days later the armistice was signed.</p>
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John stood 16 in his Class of 227 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. His first assignment was the Engineer School at old Camp Humphreys, Virginia. There again his quick grasp of engineering and his willingness to help others made him a popular tutor. From the Engineer School John served brief tours at Camp Taylor, Kentucky; Camp Dix, New Jersey; Camp Grant, Illinois; Camp Custer, Michigan; and Fort Sheridan, Illinois. At Fort Sheridan he was a 1st lieutenant in command of an Engineer company assigned to assist in rehabilitating the post which had been converted into an Army hospital during the war.</p>
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At the Academy I had barely known John. Arriving at Fort Sheridan about the same time, we were assigned quarters together in a bachelor apartment. We became fast friends, and, during a period of more than a year, I can remember no time when we had even a slight disagreement. I do remember that John had more traits to be admired than anyone of my acquaintance. He had a keen and practical mind, a great sense of humor, and his face reflected his friendly character.</p>
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While at Fort Sheridan John met Miss Kathryn Pierce of nearby Glencoe, and they were married in November 1922. From this union were born three fine boys. Theirs was a happy family.</p>
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Early in 1923 John was transferred to the Chicago Engineer District, but on 31 May he resigned from the Army. Our Class had been graduated at the close of World War I. We were ranked by an enormous hump of officers our age who had been commissioned while we were cadets. Rather than mark time, John was among a number of splendid classmates who resigned. With his separation from the service, many classmates believe the Corps of Engineers lost a potential future chief.</p>
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As a civilian John joined a Chicago construction firm. One of the jobs he worked on was the Chicago Furniture Mart, at that time the largest building in America. In 1927 he inherited a farm near Richmond, Indiana. With his young family he decided to leave Chicago, live the life of a gentleman farmer, and raise fancy poultry for the Chicago hotel trade. But the letdown from an extremely active life drove John back into business. In 1933 he joined the Allied Chemical Corporation in Syracuse as manager of the calcium chloride department. Later he became manager of the sales division.</p>
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Despite his well ordered civilian life, when World War II came, John was among the first to offer his services. He was commissioned a colonel and assigned as the Syracuse District Engineer in the Rivers and Harbors organization. For this service he was awarded the Legion of Merit.</p>
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In 1946 John rejoined Allied Chemical in the New York office. His home, in Westport, Connecticut, was within easy commuting distance of West Point. Over the years the Ellemans were regular attendants at the home football games as well as the ARMY-Navy games in Philadelphia. The last time I saw John was at the Navy game in 1965. He looked his old happy self with no sign that he would be gone in a short six months.</p>
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In 1955 the Ellemans made their final move to Syracuse where John became director of coordination in the Solvay plant of Allied Chemical. As a thirty-second degree Mason and with his long service with Allied Chemical, he had many Syracuse friends, and it was a pleasant homecoming. In 1960 he retired.</p>
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In March 1966 John underwent an abdominal operation. His condition improved; soon he was home seemingly recuperating. Suddenly and unexpectedly the end came.</p>
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John is survived by his wife Kathryn, Syracuse, New York; sons Charles of Chicago, David and John Jr., both of the Syracuse area; and six grandchildren.</p>
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The Class has lost a beloved friend and West Point has lost a distinguished, loyal alumnus.</p>
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<em>-E.C.N.</em></p>