William Mayo Hooker

West Point, 1956

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Erickson Hooker on August 18, 2017:

William Mayo (Will) Hooker was born in Monte Vista, CO, the son of Mayo Putnam Foster and Helen Marie Rigenbach. After his parents divorced, his mother married Winfred Kenneth Hooker. He adopted Will, who in the process acquired two new siblings, sister Ann and brother Kenneth Jr. As a boy during World War II, Will periodically lived on his Uncle Shortys farm near Monte Vista. There, he was able to speak to German prisoners of war that he found working in the fields, having learned the language from his German immigrant grandparents. Near the end of the war, Will rejoined his parents in Colorado Springs. World War II made a lasting impression on Will. Not long after the war, Will and his family moved again to Salida, CO, where they began an electrical business. In 1952, Will graduated from Salida High School in the upper quarter of his class. His son later stated that for Will "West Point represented a way to use his abilities and education and to go beyond what a small town like Salida had to offer." As a cadet in the Class of 1956, Will did well across the board. His classmates wrote in the Howitzer, the West Point yearbook, "His goals were to work hard and do his best in all situations." He was active in the German Club and was a Sunday School teacher. As a First Classman he was a member of the Brigade Staff as brigade supply sergeant. Upon graduation he stood 121 of 480, enabling him to choose Armor as his branch. Following the usual early schooling, the Armor Officer Basic Course at Fort Knox, KY and Airborne training at Fort Benning, GA, Will's first troop duty was in Germany with the 12th Cavalry in Budingen. During that assignment, Will met, courted, and married Audrey Nell Bilbrey, sister of the wife of another officer in the squadron. She had come on vacation, but meeting Will quickly led to marriage that December. Their memorable wedding took place in the dead of winter in an unheated 12th century cathedral in Budingen. Later Audrey claimed she was the only bride ever to be married while wearing her husband's long johns (which she had on beneath her bridal gown). In 1959, Will and Audrey's only son Erickson was born in Frankfurt. After two years as a troop officer, Will was selected to be aide-de-camp to the famous General Creighton Abrams, then (as a brigadier) assistant division commander of the 3rd Armored Division. In 1960, Will returned to the United States for an assignment with the 17th Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg, NC. The following year he branch transferred to the Chemical Corps and, after attending the Chemical Officer Career Course, was sent for graduate schooling to the Ohio State University, where in 1963 he was awarded a Master of Science degree in organic chemistry. His next posting was three years at West Point as an instructor and assistant professor in the Department of Physics & Chemistry. During this assignment Will and Audrey adopted daughter Jana Marie Kelly. Following those West Point years, Will deployed to Vietnam, where he served during 1966--67 with the 12th Combat Aviation Group and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm. Back in the United States, Will spent 1967--70 as a liaison officer for the Combat Developments Command's Experimentation Center at Fort Ord, CA and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for his service. Next Will attended the Command & General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, graduating in 1971. His follow-on assignment was three years with the Alaskan Joint Command at Fort Richardson, AK, "a fantastic sojourn," said Will, for which he was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal. Will's final active duty assignment was at the Army Test & Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, where he was Chief, Environmental Quality Control Office. In 1976, he retired as a lieutenant colonel and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Will then attended the College of Optometry at Pacific University. Later he chose chiropractic medicine as his civilian career field and, in 1982, graduated from the Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, OR. In 1985, Will's marriage to Audrey ended in divorce. A decade later he remarried, but that marriage also proved to be ill-fated and ended in divorce. In his later years, Will lived in a charming country home near Troutdale, OR. He spent a great deal of his retirement years remodeling the property. He also especially enjoyed taking his dachshund Rudy camping in the Columbia River gorge. Will also travelled to Europe on many occasions with his brother Ken, sister-in-law Marian, and friends. Will's son Erickson came to live with him from 2013 to 2016 but, despite his son's best efforts as a caregiver, Will was overpowered by cancer. He died in his home, son and daughter attending, West Point parade saber gleaming on his chest. A portion of Will's ashes will be placed near Mount St. Helens/Spirit Lake, because of his mother Helen, and because he and Rudy loved the outdoors. "I celebrate life in the melting snows, green mountains, the flowers on the river bank, and the moon reflecting on still waters," Will told his classmates in their Thirty Year Book. Will Hooker was a man of substance and character, professionally serious, decent and loyal. He was one of a kind. May he rest in peace. Submitted by Classmates and Family

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