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| Lewis Andrew Pick, Jr.
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| NO. 17767 •
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Died 28 October 1993 in Opelika, Alabama, aged 65 years
Interment: Pine Hills Cemetery, Auburn, Alabama
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LEWIS ANDREW PICK, JR., was
born in New Orleans, where his father was serving with the Corps of Engineers.
During his boyhood he lived at various Army posts and civil works locations.
His father was to become one of the outstanding Army engineers of World War II,
the builder of "Pick's Pike," a 425 mile section of the Ledo Road. Andy
attended Culver Military Academy, graduating in 1945.
Andy's red hair and dynamic
personality brought him early attention from both the upperclassmen and his
congenial classmates in K‑2. The
Howitzer highlighted
his self-confidence, friendly manner, and ability to add zest to any gathering.
Andy's first assignment after
graduation in June of 1950 was with the Field Artillery, 3rd Infantry Division.
He deployed with the Division from Fort Benning to Korea, where he served as a
forward observer. He took part in the division's 1950 and 51 campaigns and was
awarded the Silver Star.
Upon returning to the United
States. he transferred from the Field Artillery to the Corps of Engineers and
was assigned to the
Engineer School as an
instructor in tactics. He next was detailed to military construction projects
in the Savannah District. After a year he returned to Fort Belvoir to
attend the Advanced Course. In December of 1954, he and Frances Boddie of
Valdosta, Georgia were married and made their first home at Fort Belvoir. It is
hard to imagine a better suited pair than Fran and Andy.
About this time Andy began to
show an interest in finance. He could stay abreast of his classes and still
display a thorough familiarity with the contents of the Wall Street Journal. He wanted to know how businesses worked and knew that
finance was the language of business. This interest was to be helpful in his
later business career. After receiving a masters in engineering at Princeton,
Andy and Fran sailed for Germany in 1956 where he was assigned to the 540th
Engineer Combat Group. He commanded a separate Engineer company and later
served as an operations officer for the group. Andy was a man of ideas; ideas
he supported enthusiastically but with a fervor tempered by realism and humor.
He ran a good unit and was willing to share his ideas. He also shared the
credit for successes, resulting in more successes.
Troop duty in Europe was
followed by ROTC duty, C&GSC, and service in Vietnam as Engineer advisor to
the Vietnamese I Corps at Danang. He then was assigned as assistant director of
Civil Works in the Office of the Chief of Engineers. His expertise in policy
issues on the Army's civil functions resulted in his assignment as executive
officer to the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works.
In 1972 Andy had a difficult
decision to make: to remain on active duty or retire to Auburn, Alabama to
direct his family's real estate and construction business. Regretfully, he gave
up the certainty of positions of great responsibility in the Army to shoulder
his family obligations. He returned to
the small southern town that had been home to his family since 1892.
On the morning of the first
day on the new job in Auburn, Andy had a small framing crew, one truck and an
office in his mother's house. "Let's go to work" was the brief
assumption of command speech. From these humble beginnings Andy became the man
labeled "The Forefather of Development in Auburn." Fran joined in the
fray, going to work for the first time since her marriage. Raw land was
cleared, subdivisions were developed, houses and commercial buildings were
constructed and sold, and the business prospered. Andy believed in making the
American dream of home ownership available to the residents of Auburn.
While helping to fulfill the
needs of Auburn's new home market, Andy looked at the student body of Auburn
University and saw a potential market for students wanting to escape the
substandard housing that existed. In 1977 he built Eagles West Apartments, a
240‑unit complex located across the street from the campus.
At an age when most people
were retiring and relaxing, Andy gained ownership control and became chairman
of MESA Industries, Inc., which was transformed from a struggling company to a
successful corporation with operations in seven states.
An idealist as well as a
practical person, Andy entered into local politics and supported worthwhile
organizations. He was a Sunday school teacher until the end of his life.
Although he shared his time and laughter with old and new friends, he was, at
heart, a family man who adored his daughter Betsy and sons Andrew and Charles
and well as grandchildren Cary Frances and Edward.
Although he had undergone open
heart surgery eight years before his death, it did not seem to affect his
enthusiasm or energy. The news of the final attack was a shock to everyone,
including his classmates who had seen him at a mini‑reunion in Florida
two weeks earlier. His last words before
leaving to join the Long Gray Line were "When do we start?"
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USMA 1950