From collection Member List
From the 99 Lives Project (99 Lives (knox.edu)_
GEORGE SMITH ADAMS
GEORGE SMITH ADAMS
KNOWN AS
Sparky
BIRTH DATE
10 Feb 1921
BIRTH LOCATION
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA
FATHER
Frank Albert Adams, bank examiner
MOTHER
Edna W Smith Adams
SIBLINGS
Sara Jane Adams
SPOUSE
Helen Louise Wolfensperger Adams, KC '45
HIGH SCHOOL
Springfield HS
HIGH SCHOOL LOCATION
Springfield, Illinois
HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Inter-Society Debate, Delphics, orchestra, DeMolays, baseball, golf
HOMETOWN
Springfield, Sangamon County
HOME STATE
Illinois
ENTERED KNOX
1939
CLASS YEAR
1943
MAJOR
Economics
SPORTS
Letterwinner, captain, golf; letterwinner, basketball
ACTIVITIES
Reserve Officers' Training Corps; Key Club; Friars; Who's Who; Pershing Military Medal; K Club; Theater Group; president, Pre-Law Club; Interfraternity Council; vice president, Athletic Board of Control; Senior Officer Council; The Knox Student; WVKC
FRATERNITY
Phi Gamma Delta, intramurals manager
ENLISTMENT DATE
20 May 1942
ENLISTMENT LOCATION
Galesburg, Knox County, Illinois, USA
ENLISTMENT NUMBER
16 102 101
WAR / CONFLICT
World War II
MILITARY SERVICE
US Army
SERIAL NUMBER
O-538469
RANK
First Lieutenant
UNIT
38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division
SERVICE HISTORY
Entered service May 1942, attended officers' candidate school, commissioned a Second Lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia in Dec 1943. Veteran of the Belgian bulge campaign and many other engagements in the war against Germany, had fought his way across France, Belgium and far into Germany before hostilities ended. His unit was presented a presidential citation in 1944 for participation in the Belgian bulge.
CASUALTY DATA
DNB / Died Non Battle - died in an automobile accident in Czechoslovakia
DATE OF DEATH
10 Jun 1945
AGE AT DEATH
24
LOCATION OF DEATH
Plzen, Okres Plzen-mesto, Plzensky, Czech Republic
BURIAL
Lorraine American Cemetery, Saint Avold, France
PLOT LOCATION
Plot B, row 17, grave 23
FIND A GRAVE
AWARDS
Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, Presidential Unit Citation
REMARKS
1912 Noble Avenue; Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois
