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View a eulogy for Chester Joseph Piolunek, USMA '54, who passed away on February 21, 2012.

Chester Joseph Piolunek

West Point, 1954

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Phil Weatherby on February 24, 2012:

How funny that Ron Button remembered Chet's famous, if you don't go to other people's wake, don't expect them to come to yours.....because it's one of Chet's all time favorites that we all quoted to each other when we left class parties after it appeared in the Assembly class notes.

Chet and I go back 30 years or more, and of course Yale knew him even longer. I worked at Control Data Corp. as did Walt Evans (ex classmate L-2) and Walt approached me and asked if I would as an employee put in a good word for hiring Chet. Although I was not in their section I was happy to do so. Chet was frequently in the Library and we found that some of the acquisitions that he suggested were very helpful. Also we just liked him and were glad when he would come in to visit us.

The story I have told many times is that because of our contract with the Navy, CDC had some retired "squids" working there also. One former officer, when he found that Chet, Walt and I all knew each other from the USMA '54 group, seemed surprised, and commented on the fact that I had married a USMA grad instead of one from USNA, because my father was in the Navy for many years. Chet was in the library and privy to the conversation, so when the comment was made, I was sure Chet was going to help settle the question with a good comment. Army vs Navy... However, being a little more than annoyed by it, and also a bit short tempered, I answered first..telling the Navy person I didn't marry a USNA grad because I didn't want to be married to a person who wore "high water pants", bow ties, and scratched his rear in public (all of which this fellow was famous for doing).....Was never questioned again....and as I then told Chet, I'm sure that you would have answered in a better manner than I did, and he replied he thought my answer was perfectly straight to the point, and also was accurate.

Yale was class scribe for a while, and when the search began to for another class scribe, the result was not really a satisfactory one, with nothing written by the people assigned the duty. Fortunately Chet was approached and accepted....and of course as everyone knows from the class he didn't miss any deadlines, and faithfully wrote the class notes for many years.

On a personal basis I was very fond of Chet...he had just the right amount of humor within him, and also a lot of just plain commond sense. A good balance. Chet was as the Cadets of this time and day say...."He was a good Dude"....and indeed he was.

We will miss him, and although we won't be at his funeral..or wake....in person, we will attend in heart and sprit... Well Done Chet, RIP.

Phil Weatherby
wife of Yale Weatherby (H-2)

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