Earl I. Heenan Jr. ’41

Earl died at home on Aug. 7, 2001, from complications of cancer. A lifelong resident of Detroit and Grosse Pointe, Mich., he graduated from Detroit U. School, and at Princeton majored in politics, joined Quadrangle, served in ROTC, and was a member of Triangle Club, touring as drummer with the band.

Commissioned in June 1941, Earl was assigned to Fort Bragg, where he was Battery C.O. and Battalion S-3 in the Field Artillery. After transfer to Fort Sill, and then back to Fort Bragg in 1943, Earl was assigned to liaison duty in the China theater, serving as Field Artillery Instructor/Adviser in Kunming.

Awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Chinese decorations, Earl was mustered out as a major.

Returning to Detroit, he entered the real estate investment and finance field with his brother Palmer '43. Earl volunteered for many organizations, chiefly the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, the Earhart Foundation in Ann Arbor, and the Cottage Hospital in Grosse Pointe.

Surviving are his brother Palmer, son Earl III '71, daughter Tracy Walklet, and grandchildren Elizabeth and Grayson.

The Class of 1941