Colonel Billy E. Spangler

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Billy E. Spangler, 78, died of leukemia Monday, Nov. 19, 2007, at his home in Boerne, Texas.

Son of the late William and Melba Spangler, he was a graduate from Elkville Community High School in 1946, and from SIU- Carbondale in 1952. His widow is the former Melba Brown of Herrin.

Survivors include two sons, Kelly, Evan and wife Marina; and two sisters, Juanita and her husband retired marine Lt. Col. Robert Hofstetter of Salem and Rosemary Harlow of Brownwood, Texas.

Spangler joined the Army as a private after graduating from high school, was commissioned a reserve second lieutenant in 1953, and commanded a Du Quoin army reserve unit in the early 1960s. As the Vietnam War escalated, he volunteered for recall to active duty and was assigned in 1967 to the First Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, a paratrooper infantry unit in Vietnam. He subsequently participated in the planning for the return of America's Vietnam POWs and was in Hanoi on Feb. 12, 1973, when the first element American service members was released.

Later assignments included the Department of the Army staff at the Pentagon; and Commander and Editor-in Chief, European Edition, The Stars & Strips, a daily newspaper for service personnel Stationed in Europe, The Middle East, and the United Kingdom.

His Last assignment was Commandant, Defense Information School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind. He retired to Texas in 1983. Colonel Spangler's burial was at Arlington National Cemetery. .

To leave a message or tribute for the family, please visit Vaughan's Funeral Home of Boerne, Texas.
 

Sergeant Major Emanuel F. Harper Jr.

May 18, 2007

Retired SGM Emanuel F. Harper, Jr. 76, Indianapolis, died May 16, 2007. He was born February 5, 1931 to Emanuel F. and Lorain (Gore) Harper, Sr.

Emanuel retired after 27 years serving in the U.S. Army.  Harper is well known among DINFOS Alums as he served as Sergeant Major of the Defense Information School and was active in  the Armed Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN) veterans group.

He is survived by  his wife of 50 years, Evelyn Harper; sons, Emanuel Harper III (Kathleen), and Vincent Harper (Lisa); grandchildren, Vincent Harper II (Misha), Emanuel Harper IV, Richard Harper, and Joshua Harper; great-grandchild, DeJuan Mimms; brother, Charles Harper (Geraldine); sisters, Dannie Vee Benson and Evelyn Mack (Willie).

"I figured what the Hell ..."
A LIFE LIVED: Frank E. Meek Jr., 1919-2007

Fort Harrison leader expanded WFYI
By David Mannweiler
david.mannweiler@indystar.com

March 5, 2007


If they meet in the hereafter, Douglas MacArthur will finally get a chance to chew out Frank Meek.

While MacArthur was General of the Army during World War II, he and Meek -- an Army Air Forces colonel -- had a difference of opinion over a radio station.

MacArthur wanted it shut down. Col. Meek didn't.

Col. Meek was the senior officer on a speck called Marcus Island in the Pacific Ocean toward the end of the war. With little to do, he sent to Honolulu for equipment to start a radio station.

MacArthur's office sent orders to close the unauthorized station immediately.

"We sent a message back to their headquarters saying: 'We are not a part of your command -- period,' " Mr. Meek said in a 1988 interview.

He never heard again from MacArthur's anti-broadcasters.

"I figured, what the hell, all they can do is take the station away from us," Mr. Meek said.

Mr. Meek died Feb. 11 at age 87. He was born in Caldwell, Idaho, the son of a retired cavalry officer. He became a sportswriter for The (Portland) Oregonian, but his editor said that when Mr. Meek wrote about baseball, he could never tell what sport he was writing about.

A celebration of life will be Friday at the Parklane Seniors Apartments in Salt Lake City.

"Dad declined to have a funeral," said his son Frank E. Meek III. "He hated funerals and didn't like to go to them. He wanted a wake instead."

At his request, Mr. Meek's body was donated to the University of Utah's Medical School.

Mr. Meek and his wife of 59 years, Margaret "Peg" Meek, moved to Salt Lake City 21/2 years ago to be closer to their two sons -- one of whom lives four blocks from his parents.

Col. Meek was assigned in 1969 to the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin Harrison, where military journalists and public affairs personnel were trained.

When he was commandant of the school, Col. Meek was recruited to WFYI (Channel 20) in 1972, 15 months after the public broadcaster got its start, by Gens. Howard S. Wilcox and Robert Moorhead, both Indiana National Guard generals and Indianapolis civic leaders.

"He was a really capable, take-charge person," said Alan Cloe, WFYI's executive vice president. "He had a military sense about him, but he was warm and thoughtful, too."

Mr. Meek is credited with obtaining an 800-foot transmitting tower that expanded the station's signal past Indianapolis; acquiring WIAN-FM from Indianapolis Public Schools and changing its call letters to WFYI-FM; and creating local programming on the General Assembly and agriculture.

Mr. Meek was at WFYI from 1972 to 1990. He was named a WFYI Life Director in 1995.

Other survivors include a son, Dr. Sanford G. Meek. 

Reprinted by permission - The Indianapolis Star