Posted by XXXXXX on May 18, 2008:

Rodman Saville NO. 16602 CLASS OF 1948 Died 25 June 1987 in Fredericksburg, Texas, aged 61 years. Inurnment: cremated; ashes placed in a crypt at his ranch near Fredericksburg, Texas. BORN IN HOUSTON, TEXAS on 17 February 1926, Rodman was the son of Wilson G. and Floy Barnhardt Saville. His father and both of his grandfathers, Mathew Saville and George Barnhardt, were graduates of West Point. Growing up with his brother and two sisters in Houston, Rodman finished his high school education at Episcopal High School in Virginia and at New Mexico Military Institute. He entered West Point in July 1944. As a cadet he was well liked by his classmates. Friendly though not gregarious, he had a good sense of humor and a congenial spirit. With his guitar and songs he was a popular participant in social activities. ("Abdul Abulbul Amir" was a favorite which always brings Rodman to mind.) Though not especially studious, Rodman was bright and graduated slightly above the middle of his class. Like a number of his classmates he found other activities more interesting than academics. Trim, good looking and athletic, he performed on the flying rings as a member of the Academy Gym Team. He also served on the Howitzer staff and the Special Program Committee. After graduating in 1948, Rodman was commissioned in the newly-established United States Air Force. After an exciting and enjoyable year of pilot training at Randolph and Las Vegas, he received his pilot wings in September 1949. Assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron at Otis AFB on Cape Cod, he entered the exciting new world of jet flying in the F-84 Thunderjet, one of the first operational jet aircraft. He had been there less than a year when the Korean War erupted. Though he did not have to do so Rodman immediately volunteered for combat duty and was on his way to Korea only a couple of weeks later. He was soon flying combat missions in the P-51 Mustang, the conventional propeller aircraft of World War II fame. Like a number of his friends who did not return, he found that it was a real war and not just a "police action." He was a good pilot and soon became a respected, cool-headed combat leader, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and eight Air Medals during the course of 160 combat missions. Upon completing his tour of duty in combat he was reassigned in 1951 to a jet fighter squadron at Oxnard AFB, California. Rodman was a fine officer with a promising future in the Air Force, but from the beginning he made no secret of the fact that his career goals lay in the business world. While on active duty he invested and participated in a couple of small business ventures, one of which was a fast food delivery operation in Houston. Though it was not successful he considered the experience and lessons learned to be valuable. In 1952 Rodman married Jean-Marie Ormondroyd of Hermosa Beach, California. With the Korean War over, and having completed his military service obligations, he resigned his commission in 1953 and moved with his wife to Houston, where he was determined to become a successful entrepreneur. It was in Houston that their three children, Linda, Robin and Wilson, were born. Rodman started his business career as a home builder in Houston, but when his father died in 1954 he was asked to join his father's firm, Gravity Meter Exploration Company, as a partner. However, he soon found this business not to his liking and after a year or two resigned to go back into the building business. He became very successful, and numerous office buildings and apartment projects in Houston bear his mark. In 1960 Rodman and Jean-Marie were divorced. He subsequently married Joan Chadwick, but they were divorced after a few years. In 1968 Rodman decided it was time for a change and moved to the hill country near Hunt, Texas to escape the pressures of life in Houston. In 1970 he married Pamela Ballard in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Their son Shreve was born in 1972. They then moved to the area of Fredericksburg, Texas, where he bought a ranch and established Saville Vineyard. He became a leader in the emerging grape-growing industry there. In 1987 he was named "Pioneer of the Year" for 1986 by the Texas Grape Growers Association. Among other advancements, he developed a method of pruning which permitted the vines to withstand late spring freezes and still produce good crops. He also became involved in jewelry making, particularly enjoying the cutting and polishing of semi-precious stones. In addition he developed real estate in the Fredericksburg area. Rodman enjoyed the country life on his ranch. Hunting and fishing remained his favorite sports. With Pamela and young Shreve he took many trips, exploring the western part of the country, and took pleasure in finding out-of-the-way places. On 25 June 1987 Rodman died of lung cancer at his ranch home in the Tivydale community near Fredericksburg. He will forever be remembered with fondness and affection by his family, his many friends in Houston and Fredericksburg, and especially by his classmates and fellow officers who came to know him well during his Academy days and his five years in the Air Force. There are any number of interesting (some hilarious) incidents and stories which most of us could recount about Rodman from his younger years. It's too bad you had to leave us, Rodman, before we had the chance to visit with you once more and swap stories from those days of long ago. We'll miss you at the reunions. a classmate

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