Ordinary Men Build A Legendary Road
Black Engineers & The ALCAN Highway
African American. Alaska Highway. H&S Company and 1317th Engineers in Germany. Born: 29 July 1911, Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. Died: 1 April 1952, Carlisle, Cumberland County, PA. His obituary in The News-Chronicle (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania) reports that Mr. Mackey lost control of his car while traveling west on Governor Ritner Highway toward Shippensburg and the car…
African American. Alaska Highway. H&S Company. Born: 1 June 1915, Washington, DC. Died: August 1985, Washington, DC. Enlisted: 7 July 1941, Baltimore, MD. Education: four years high school. Civilian occupation: motion picture projectionist, employed at Lincoln Theatre Company. His father was Cornelius Shephard Burke (1819-1972), laborer Navy, and his mother was Mayme A Honesty Burke…
African American. Alaska Highway. H&S Company. Born: 6 January 1921, Columbia, SC. Died: unknown. Enlisted: 29 April 1941, Philadelphia, PA. and discharged 3 October 1945, Regular Army. Education: four years high school. Civilian occupation: Agent, appraiser. His father was Willie Bynum, handyman at apartment and houses and his mother was Bertha Bynum, seamstress, WPA project….
African American. Alaska Highway. H&S Company. Born: 26 June 1915, Atlantic City, NJ. Died: 10 October 1997, Ft. Myers, FL. Enlisted: (1) 24 May 1941, Baltimore, MD (2) 24 February 1943 and discharged 11 February 1946. Education: three years college. Civilian occupation: dishwasher at hotel, waiter. His father was James W. Whittington, a musician with…
African American. Alaska Highway. H&S Company. Born: 26 May 1908, Spartanburg, SC. Died: 12 June 1989, Silver Springs, MD. Enlisted: 30 June 1941, Baltimore, MD and discharged 17 September 1945. Education: grammar school. Civilian Occupation: plumber, employed at Stradley Engineering Company. His father was Isaiah Shands and his mother was Esteller Wuckett. Serial #33063630 If…
African American. Alaska Highway. H&S Company. Born: 21 May 1917, Sanford, North Carolina. Lived in Arlington County, Virginia. Died: 10 January 1972, Alexandria, VA. Enlisted: 15 January 1942, Richmond, VA. Education: two years high school. Civilian occupation: Employed at West Brothers Brick Company and his death certificate states that he was a porter in an…
Alaska Highway. African American. Chaplain, H&S Company. Born: 12 June 1903, New York. Died: 29 November 1986 Flushing, Queens, New York. Enlisted: 15 August 1941 and released 31 August 1961. Highest Rank: Lt. Colonel. Education: graduated with B.S. and B.D. from Union Theological Seminary in New York on 23 May 1933. This Seminary was established…
Alaska Highway. Officer, Medical Corps. Born: 19 September 1907 Chatfield, Fillmore, MN. Died: 15 July 1983 Mesa, Maricopa, AZ. Enlisted: 16 October 1942 and discharged 8 March 1946. Education: McCalester College, MN medical school, five years. Civilian occupation: physician and surgeon. In 1940 he was practicing with Dr. Hugh Beals. For 13 years, he was…
Alaska Highway. Headquarters, Post Exchange Officer. Born: 5 September 1919, Sheldon, Vernon, Missouri. Died: 12 February 2017, San Angelo, Tom Green, TX. Buried: Sheldon Cemetery, Missouri. Education: Graduated from the University of Kansas, mining engineer and metallurgist. Post graduate work at University of Arizona. Civilian occupation: Senior Process Engineer. He retired from Ralph N. Parsons…
Alaska Highway. H&S Company. Medical Corps. Physician and surgeon. Born: 23 January 1899, Chicago, Cook, IL. Died: 4 November 1973, Ottawa, LaSalle, IL. Enlisted: 1 September 1942, Ft. Douglas, Utah and discharged 2 February 1945. Education: Rush Medical College. The segregated 97th Regiment arrived at Valdez, Alaska on 29 April 1942. Three feet of snow…