To Glen, and the other WW II veterans from the Heuvelton area,
Walter Glen Rickett
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June 11, 2001: Source: Barry Rickett
Glen is one of five WW II veterans who will receive their High School Diploma at this year's JCS Graduation Ceremonies under OPERATION RECOGNITION. He was nominated to the HCS on the Web Hall of Fame by Barry Rickett, and that nomination was accepted by the Web Site management as an excellent entry for these pages. Barry himself had the following to say:
Now for something from inside me! I think he is a shining example of what's
been called the "Greatest Generation". He made big sacrifices and endured
great hardships, all with no complaint. He did what he had to do to provide
for his family and yet always had time to give to the community. Although I
understand that the diploma will be mostly symbolic (not many 75 year olds
starting a career or going to college), it is a part of his life that will
now be complete. I think it's a wonderful gesture on the part of the state
ed. department to recognize the WWII vets this way.
We therefore bestow the following honor upon Walter Glen Rickett with this testimonial:
He has always used his middle name, Glen.
He was born in a farm house, near the south end of the East road. Amish
currently live on the farm. He lost his mom, Inez Hurlbut Rickett, at age
11. He attended HCS until 1943 when, in the 11th grade, he dropped out to
join the Navy and serve in WWII. He served for three years aboard the USS
San Juan, CL54, in the pacific theater. He was present, on the San Juan, in
Tokyo harbor when the Japanese signed the surrender.
After returning home, he married Grace E. Stowell in 1948. They have three
sons, three daughter-in-laws, seven grandchildren and eight great
grandchildren.
He has worked hard all of his life, often working two and three jobs at the
same time. But in spite of that, he has always found time to give back to
the community. He is a life long member of the Masonic Lodge and the
Eastern Stars and has served in leadership positions in those organizations
including a state office in the Masons. He is a member of and a past
Potentate of the Shriners organization.
He served for more than thirty years as a volunteer and is a past chief of
the Heuvelton Fire Dept. He was elected to a number of terms and served
as Justice for the Town of Oswegatchie. He is a member of the VFW and the
American Legion and is a charter member of the AmVets post in Heuvelton.
For the past fifteen years or so, he has worked for the Heuvelton School
District as a bus driver. He will be retiring at the end of this school
year coincident with receiving his High School Diploma.
Although he moved out of the area for a few years in the fifty's, he and his
wife, Grace, have lived in Heuvelton every since.
The scanned photo I've included is from his USS San Juan book. He is the
sailor at the far end of the ice cream bar with the cap on.
To Glen, and the other WW II veterans from the Heuvelton area,
WELL DONE!
AND
THANK YOU!
You can find out more about Operation Recognition by clicking the link at the beginning of this article, or by clicking HERE. Use your Browser's Back Button to return to this page.