Posted by Charles H. Shook, Sr. on May 2, 2015:

Bob Hallahan made a significant contribution to our 1948 Howitzer. When we returned to West Point from summer activities on Labor Day week-end, 1947, Colonel McKinley, OIC of the Howitzer, delivered some very bad news. The dollar amount carried forward in USMA's Howitzer account for our use was substantially smaller than previously forecast. Accordingly, we had to revise completely the original (approved) make-up of the yearbook, and remove many of the features which we thought would make our class's Howitzer extra special. Out of the blue, Bob Hallahan volunteered to make pen and ink sketches of each of the classmates, to be printed with their biographies in the "First Class Biographies" section of the yearbook. The idea was unique and was accepted enthusiastically and with gratitude by the Howitzer Staff. True to his word, and with no help and minimal recognition, Bob completed the 301 individual sketches on time to meet a very tight publication deadline. He answered a question which had hounded the Staff since Colonel McKinley's financial bombshell, "With a severely limited budget and time, how could we make the 1948 Howitzer extra special?" This extra special classmate's initiative and many hours of work, made the 1948 Howitzer extra special.

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