Alaska Highway. Company D, E and F. Born: 6 December 1918, Seattle, Washington. Died: 17 January 2012, Portland, Oregon. Enlisted: 7 April 1941, Tacoma, WA.
In WW2, he served in Alaska, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and France and Italy.
He arrived at Valdez, Alaska in 1942, three feet of snow covered the ground, with the 97th Engineers who built the northern section of the Alaska Highway. As a 2 Lt, he was assigned to companies D, F and E.
Melvin attended Stadium High School and the University of Washington. His father, Melvin Tennent, Sr, was a steel executive and Melvin Jr in 1940 worked at his father’s plant as a laborer. At age 11 he went with his family to Hawaii for a summer vacation.
He was an avid “scratch” golfer. At the end of the war he was asked to work with Robert T. Jones in designing and building golf courses for the many Army Posts. Instead he worked in the Insurance Adjusting business.
His father was Melvin Tennent, Sr, Vice President of a steel manufacturing company. His mother was Agnes Marie Hasting (1885-1962). He married Mary Jane Barton on 14 September 1941 (1920-2008). They had two children, Barbara T. Anderson and Stephen Tennent.
Serial #O-456559