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| Arthur Luther Shemwell, Jr.
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| NO. 17951 • 12 January 1927 - 17 April 1994
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Died in Charlestown, SC.
Interred at Beaufort National Cemetery, Beaufort, SC.
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Arthur Luther Shemwell, Jr. was born in Paris, TN, the only child of Arthur Luther and Fay Bell Shemwell. His boyhood was spent in Paris and Nashville, TN. At the age of 9, he
first entered military life when he enrolled in the Junior Military Academy in
Bloomington Springs, TN.
Following his years there, he moved on to Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, TN. His
friend, Dick Brooks has this to say, "When Art entered Castle Heights in
September 1941, a 4‑year preparation for his ultimate desire began - to
graduate frorn West Point and become a Regular Army officer. Art never wavered
in his aspirations. He rose through the ranks of cadet life while participating
in many activities. He was editor‑ in‑chief of the campus
newspaper, president of the Tennessee High School Press Association, and
president of the Mississippi Valley Press Association. He was a company
captain, president of the Heights‑y, Master Councilor of the Corps
chapter of DeMolay, and president of the Class of '45. Art was a member of
several academic honorary societies, of the Corps Honor Council, and
participated in varsity football and track."
Although WWII was coming
to a close in the spring of 1945, no one knew it at the time. Consequently,
Art, still in pursuit of his dream of being in the Regular Army, enlisted and
was shipped to Camp Robinson, AR. In November 1945, he gained entry to the
United States Military Academy Preparatory Program at Amherst College. He
followed this prograrn from Amherst to Ft. Benning, GA, and from there entered
West Point in July 1946, with an appointment from his representative, J. Perch
Priest.
Beast Barracks and the
following Plebe year could hold small fears for anyone with 7 years prior
military schooling, and Art was no exception. He marched where he was told to
march, memorized what he had to memorize, and met the upper classes' harangues
with an unflappable calm that must have driven some of them up the wall.
Blithely ignoring the
burdens the math and engineering departments attempted to impose, he kept the
library busy checking out literature's best. He consumed each copy of the
Atlantic Monthly, the Congressional Record, and the New York Times. It was no
surprise to his closest classmates to learn that later he earned a master's
degree in English from Columbia University.
He taught Sunday School
for 3 years in the Protestant Chapel, and for those years, the 11 – year olds
were known as "Mr. Shemwell's Class."
Art is remembered for
his willingness to expound on philosophy, child psychology, football, or the
noble Southland. A close friend and classmate put it best when he said in later
years, "Art was a good officer, loyal friend, good husband and father, a
credit to West Point, and someone I always enjoyed being with."
Arthur and Joan Erthal
were married the day after graduation at West Point. Following graduation
leave, they proceeded to Ft. Campbell, KY, for his first assignment in the
188th Airborne Regiment and at Ft. Benning in the 508 AIR.
Art led an active and
distinguished military life for 23 years. He served in Germany with the 43d
Division, the 169 Infantry Regiment, and Headquarters, EUCOM; in Korea with the
32d Infantry; and with the 47th ARVN in Vietnam.
He earned a master of
arts in English at Columbia University with a subsequent assignment teaching
English at West Point and later taught at the University of Maryland in Europe
and Korea. He earned two Bronze Star Medals, the Joint Service Commendation
Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Legion of Merit, and the Air Medal.
Art retired from the
Army in 1973. Initially, he located in Gaffney, SC, where for two years he
served as Personnel Manager for Oxford Industries' 13 plants.
Beside his passion to be
a Regular Army officer, Art had always harbored a desire to be an attorney This
yearning had matured in his final years in the Army and accelerated while at
Oxford Industries. At the age of 49, he set out to achieve this goal with the
same energetic approach he had used in his earlier years. Art enrolled in the
University of South Carolina Law School, graduating in 1979.
He was a member of the
South Carolina Bar Association and the Cherokee County Bar Association. Art
practiced law in Gaffney for 14 years. In his work, he took great pride in
doing what was always central to his nature ‑ helping people.
Arthur and Joan loved to
boat and water ski. When it came time to retire, they chose Fripp Island on the
coast of South Carolina. They moved to Fripp in 1990.
In 1991, the cancer that
caused Art's death was discovered. Art is survived by his wife Joan; daughters
Andrea Jones of Hendersonville, TN, and Dr. Gale Rudolph of Highlands Ranch,
CO; sons LTC Arthur L. Shernwell III of Ft. Belvoir, VA, and Eric Shemwell of
AtIanta, GA, and 4 grandchildren.
His family, friends, and
fellow officers remember Art as a scholar, leader, gentleman, friend, husband,
and father.
- His family, friends, and classmates
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USMA 1950