William Jennings Pritchard |
| Posted 2009-07-18 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Virginia Sunday, May 16, 1999 Retired U.S. Army Col. William Jennings Pritchard, 90, died in Prescott, Arizona on April 19, 1999, following a heart attack. Before moving to Arizona, he lived for25 years in Cranbury, N.J. He was born Aug. 8, 1908, in Virginia Beach, his family having lived in Hampton Roads for more than two centuries. In 1998, in honor of Col. Pritchard's 90th birthday, Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf proclaimed Aug. 8, 1998, ''Colonel William Jennings Pritchard Day'' in Virginia Beach. He was Class of 1926 at Oceana High School and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) in 1931 with a degree in electrical engineering. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1931 and went on to serve 30 years in the U.S. Army during World War II (China-Burma-India Theater) and the Korean conflict. He was a member of a team of officers at Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Tokyo Headquarters who implemented the plans for and took part in the Inchon Landing in 1950, for which he received the Bronze Star. He worked with the former president of the Republic of Korea, Dr. Syngman Rhee, establishing the engineer training program for the ROK Army and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by President Rhee in 1951. While with U.S. Army Hqtrs., Europe, Col. Pritchard served as chief of the NATO Section, Advanced Weapons Program (NIKE missile site design and construction). His final assignment was as First Army engineer at First Army Hqtrs., Fort Jay, Governor's Island, N.Y. At the conclusion of his tour of service in 1963, he received the Order of the Legion of Merit Medal. After retirement, he taught engineering at Rutgers University for 10 years. Col. Pritchard was a 32nd-degree Mason of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A. He was a member of the Retired Officers Association and the Society of Military Engineers and held professional engineer and commercial pilot licenses. He was married for 52 years to Louise Ferry Pritchard, who died in 1987 in Princeton, N.J. He is survived by his wife of 10 years, Gertrude Schilz Pritchard of Prescott; a daughter, Virginia Lee Pritchard of Charleston, S.C.; a daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Harry S. Reichard of Princeton; two grandchildren, Eric S. Reichard and Elisabeth L. Roberts; one great-grandson, Kyle E. Reichard; and 18 nieces and nephews. Religious services with military honors were held on April 22, 1999, in Prescott. Full Commendations and Farewell with full military honors will be held in the fall at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Arizona arrangements were by Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home. |
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