THE STORY: The locale, once again, is Bradleyville, Texas, where Colonel Kinkaid, a crusty World War I veteran now confined to a wheelchair, regales anyone who will listen with tales of Black Jack Pershing and his days of campaigning in France. H

"The Oldest Living Graduate is the autobiographical account of LTG William J. Ely, who began his life's journey in 1911 when he was born on a small Pennsylvania farm. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1933 and went on to serve for Thirty-three years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant general before his retirement from the service in 1966. Then, returning to military education and experience to other uses, he built a successful career as a civil engineer. He also designed a golf course, assembled an admirable record as an amateur golfer, and co-authored Lief Sverdrup: Engineer Soldier at His Best. In his personal life, beginning before his retirement from active duty, he and Helen, his wife, raised a family and marked seventy-four years together before her own death at one hundred. The Oldest Living Graduate reaches its end with a brief personal status report of the author's daily life. He chose as the final chapter's last word a portion of the lyrics from West Point's "Alma Mater" : "And when our work is done. / Our course on earth is run. / May it be said, 'Well done. / Be thou at peace.'" Weather you are one who relishes reading personal histories or one who admires individuals who live with tenacity and hood humor, The Oldest Living Graduate will satisfy you with its personal look at more than a century of living."--Page 4 of cover.