Walter Fitzmaurice Named Saint Michael's College 2010 recipients of the Col. Donald G. Cook, USMC Award

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Walter Fitzmaurice of N.Reading wins Saint Michael's Col. Cook Award

COLCHESTER, VT (06/23/2010)(readMedia)-- Walter Fitzmaurice of North Reading, Mass., a 1949 graduate of Saint Michael's College, was named as the college's 2010 recipient of the Col. Donald G. Cook, USMC Award, and received the recognition at award ceremonies held June 12 on the college campus in Burlington, Vermont.

The Colonel Donald G. Cook USMC '56 award is named in honor and in memory of one of the College's most courageous and self-sacrificing alumni who died as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam. Through this award, the Alumni Association recognizes alumni who unselfishly give of themselves in service to others.

The award citation stated:

This year's Col. Donald Cook award winner is Walter Fitzmaurice from the class of 1949. Walter Fitzmaurice was drafted into the Air Force in 1942 and became part of the 44th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, nicknamed the "Mighty Eighth." He was a radioman and ball-turret gunner on B-24 bombers based out of England that flew over Europe during World War II. On most of their missions, Walter's planes came back with numerous bullet holes and on three separate occasions his plane was forced to make an emergency landing. One of those times they landed just outside enemy lines in France, and were safely rescued. Walter is the first to admit how lucky they were to survive these dangerous missions.

The country of France believed it important to follow through on Charles DeGaulle's desire that certain American outfits be recognized for, "the decisive role of the United States in the liberation of France during World War II and the heroic sacrifices of so many young Americans." France's Order of the Legion of Honor was founded by Napoleon and recognizes eminent service to the French Republic, with recipients named by decree of the president of France.

Walter Fitzmaurice named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by France

At a ceremony on a tall ship in Boston last summer, Walter Fitzmaurice was named a Chevalier (or Knight) of the Legion of Honor for risking his life to save others, the highest civilian honor France awards. Mr. Fitzmaurice attributes his strong Catholic faith for getting him through the war safely, and the Edmundite fathers who prepared him for his career as a food researcher

Walter Fitzmaurice and his wife Lorraine have been married over 50 years. Together they raised eight children and five grandchildren. His late brother, Donald, was a 1951 graduate of Saint Michael's as his grandson, Robert, a 1993 graduate.

Learn What Matters at Saint Michael's College, The Edmundite Catholic liberal arts college, www.smcvt.edu . Saint Michael's provides education with a social conscience, producing graduates with the intellectual tools to lead successful, purposeful lives that will contribute to peace and justice in our world. Founded in 1904 by the Society of St. Edmund and headed by President John J. Neuhauser, Saint Michael's College is located three miles from Burlington, Vermont, one of America's top college towns. It is identified by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's Best 371 Colleges, and will be included in the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Saint Michael's is one of only 270 colleges and universities nationwide, one of only 20 Catholic colleges, with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Saint Michael's has 1,900 undergraduate students, some 500 graduate students and 100 international students. Saint Michael's students and professors have received Rhodes, Woodrow Wilson, Pickering, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and other grants. The college is one of the nation's Best Liberal Arts Colleges as listed in the 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

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