Faculty/Staff

After escaping Nazi Germany, Jean Warner Baer would enlist in the U.S. Army and help free Paris.

Jean Warner Baer, remembered by his daughter, Madelyn Baer

He did not see a lot of action, but he endured some tough conditions on the frozen turf.

Wendell Leeman, remembered by his son, Richard Leeman

Glider pilot J. Bryan Sims made a heroic landing during D-Day.

J. Bryan Sims, Jr., remembered by his daughter, Jeanette Sims

He was a bomber pilot shot down over Hungary in 1944. Captured by the enemy, he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner.

Frank Rutherford, remembered by his great-nephew, Andrew Willis

Professor Emerita Susan Cernyak-Spatz was a teenager caught in the Holocaust; her future husband was a Midwestern GI with the second wave of D-Day.

Dr. Susan Cernyak-Spatz and Bernard Fishman, remembered by their daughter, Wendy Fishman

James Edward Reinsel dove into the flooded engine room of the USS Kidd, retrieving bodies that were trapped.

James Edward Reinsel, remembered by his daughter, Tricia Kent

Of 73 cousins in Tyler Wessel’s family, 36 served during WWII.

36 cousins, remembered by Tyler Wessel

Staff Sergeant Frank Freeman flew 50 missions bombing Nazi oil refineries in Italy and Russia.

Frank Freeman, remembered by granddaughter Teri Miller

A veteran of action in the Pacific Theater, James Furr corresponded with his family and others proudly and colorfully.

James E. Furr, remembered by his daughter, Susan Furr

Like many returning soldiers, Vivian Lord’s father didn’t talk much about his war experience.

Kenneth Wilson Baumgardner, remembered by his daughter, Vivian Lord