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<p>It is the essence and the presence of <em>Richard Gay Ivey</em> that is remembered. His inner soul was structured with a compassion­ate understanding of people and the world into which he was born on 11 Oct 1915. He brought with this compassion, serenity, a calmness of manner, and intelligence that was coupled with infinite wisdom. Two oth­er facets of this man were attributed to him by the Long Gray Line. One graduate long ago paid tribute to Richard’s bravery in com­bat. Another, more recently, upon Richard’s passing, ended a heartfelt eulogy with these words: “Richard Ivey was simply the nicest man I have ever known.” His many virtues were all too apparent to all who were fortu­nate enough to have been in his presence.</p>
<p>Born in Beatrice, AL, Richard could apt­ly be described as having been a true South­ern gentleman, but he would have been deemed a gentleman in any quadrant of the globe. In high school, Richard was a popu­lar and well-rounded student. His leadership potential was recognized at an early age by his peers. Selected as captain of the football team his senior year, Richard led by example “Upon the fields of friendly strife,” as he would a few short years later in a far corner of the world. In no way did sports interfere with his classroom studies. By the time of his high school graduation, he had skipped two grades along the way.</p>
<p>Richard entered Auburn University at the tender age of sixteen. At the conclusion of his second year at Auburn, Richard sought and obtained a congressional appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, entering with the Class of 1938. During the next four years, he found academics to be less of a challenge than did most of his classmates. His two prior years of undergraduate studies, in ad­dition to exempting him from the Academy entrance examination, had prepared him well for the academic departments.</p>
<p>Shortly after graduation, fate intervened in a significant way regarding Richard’s military career. In 1941, he was assigned to the 60th Coast Artillery Regiment in the Philippines. The outbreak of hostilities and the subsequent invasions of those islands by the Japanese followed. Without reinforce­ments, food or ammunition, the garrison retreated to the fortress of Corregidor. From there, Richard repeatedly volunteered to cross behind enemy lines to locate enemy ar­tillery positions. Prior to the final surrender, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and was recommended for another by his commanding officer, MG George F. Moore. The second DSC was withheld by GEN MacArthur, who informed GEN Moore that CPT Ivey was “too young” to be awarded this prestigious decoration a second time.</p>
<p>While many did not, Richard survived the three and a half years of captivity by the Japanese. He survived, but not without the resultant and significant deterioration of his health due to malnutrition and disease. Few liberties were taken by Japanese captives, but there was one that Richard chanced. His camp guards were unfamiliar with, and unaware of, the watch pockets on U.S. mili­tary trousers. It was there that his 1938 West Point class ring was hidden for three and a half years. When liberation came at war’s end, Richard hoped to continue his military career, but it was not to be. Having existed solely on a diet of rice, his 170 pound frame had fallen to 115 pounds. The weight loss would be regained, but his failed eyesight, with blind spots in his central vision, would never recover. Upon returning to the States, he spent the following year in the Valley Forge Army Hospital.</p>
<p>In 1947, Richard Ivey was medically re­tired from his chosen profession. Without recrimination, ill feelings, hatred or animos­ity, he moved forward into a new life. He en­tered post-graduate school at the University of North Carolina to study business and finance. He read assigned study material with the aid of a magnifying glass, graduat­ing Phi Beta Kappa in 1952. That same year, Richard acquired something far more im­portant than a post-graduate degree in the person of Margrette, a wonderful, lovely, vi­vacious lady who became his wife and com­panion for the following 55 years. For a brief period, he accepted a position with the Pilot Life Insurance Company in Greensboro before becoming the assistant treasurer at the University of Rochester. In 1960, he returned to Greensboro with Margrette to work with a private foundation.</p>
<p>Richard was a loved and respected mem­ber of his community. His volunteer charity work was recognized on numerous occasions by city and civic organizations. Richard Gay Ivey, to the many who knew and associated with him, was indeed one of the nicest men they had ever known. On Corregidor, all those many years ago, GEN Moore believed him to have been one of the bravest men he had ever known. Now his work is done. His course on earth is run. May it be said: “Well done, Be Thou at Peace.”</p>
<p><em>—John F. Carroll ’59</em></p>
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