Posted by Churchill Hutton on June 3, 2007:

Rooming with Paul Makowski in L-2 for one semester, I knew him as a man from humble but proud origins. His parents, whom I met, were intelligent, dignified, and reserved people who had given their lives to the nation. His Dad was a senior NCO and Paul had deep respect for his Dad's service. It was a tremendous influence on his own dedication and sense of duty, though I have no details on how or where he grew up -- perhaps Pete Kusek can shed light on that. Paul was born and raised to a life of service to the country. At the Academy, Paul was a devoted student and a star-man at least once He was a math whiz, had an intuitive grasp of electricity, and always at or close to the top of the Class in engineering subjects. For example, he regularly seemed to know more about the effects of various explosives than some of the ordnance instructors. One suspects that his Dad had taken him to Army labs and out to Army demo pits more than once. Paul was a superb athlete and breast-stroke swimmer. Had he not been so interested in academics, he would certainly have been a force on the Corps Squad swim team -- to which he was regularly invited. He preferred intramurals, though, and with Jim Brooks, Charlie Moore, and Church Hutton set a record in the medley relay that was posted on the walls of the intramural pool for an incredible 39 years. He soared off the starting block like a giant bird, then swam the length of the pool both ways underwater like a torpedo while opponents gasped and thrashed on the surface. He would chuckle later that God had given him long arms, and the rest was simply hunger to return to the Mess Hall -- he had a huge appetite and could never get enough to eat. Paul was a thoughtful and objective man, considerate, courteous, more mature than most of us. A quiet sense of humor also kept him from taking life too seriously. He could doodle with the best, and on one occasion organized plebes to draw pictures of our Tactical Officer, then posted them in the CQ room and gave the winner a pizza. He filled guard books of the North and South Guardrooms with wonderful drawings of pinups drinking martinis, race cars, men running the 100-yard dash, flying elephants, and so forth. Those guard books were all about his sense of humor. Paul's inner life was informed by a deep Catholic faith that was a living connection with the divine ground and that sustained him in moments of stress. He was a very private and reserved person, even as a cadet, and did not want to talk about his faith, but he once told me that God was with him at all times. Few of us could have said that then, though I suspect more might agree now that we are nearer the end of the road. In the Army, Paul did wonderfully well, retiring I believe as Chief of Staff of US Army Laboratory Command. He lived in MD near there, and continued to serve as a consultant until he died suddenly and unexpectedly in late 2006. Others, however, will have to fill in his career bio, as he and I never saw each other after graduation. At his funeral, I met his lovely wife, a concert pianist, and others of his wonderful family, but others will know them better than I. God Bless You Paul -- you were one of our very best -- Church Hutton

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