Wish I'd Known Him Better

Dr. Marshall Box - a longtime Midland educator and businessman - passed away over the weekend. I knew him, though not very well ... I wish I'd known him better.

He and I were once members of the same church family. And for many years, one of his businesses has been our first choice for automobile repair and maintenance. And that was about all I knew of the man.

I've learned a lot more over the past few days, as I prepared a memorial page on the Midland College website. Among other things, I learned about his distinguished service with the U.S. Navy in World War II as a warrant officer and master diver aboard the heavy cruiser USS Minneapolis (CA-36), fighting in just about every major naval engagement in the South Pacific including Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa - and earning seventeen battle stars in the process. Here is a page devoted to the Minneapolis in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, and it is a GREAT read. The Guadalcanal/Battle of Tassafaronga section is especially interesting because of the role Box and others played in saving their ship - earning a special commendation from Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. Later, they were part of Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's task force at Leyte Gulf/Battle of Surigao Strait - one of the few engagements in history where a naval force successfully "crossed the T" of the opposing force. (Darrell, if you're reading this, back me up here!)

It was that kind of experience - plus a series of college degrees he earned in the years following the war - that Marshall brought to the fledgeling Midland College in 1971 as Dean of Occupational/Technical Programs. It was a job, Ed Todd wrote in a 2007 report for the Midland Reporter-Telegram, "where he deftly put his naval leadership training, naval ship repair, fire-fighting, diving and underwater welding technical abilities and know-how and inventiveness to work toward building about 30 technical programs for the college and its students." According to Marshall's own recollections in the book, "Midland College: The First 25 Years," this included working closely with architects in the design of the facilities that would someday house those programs. As Dean, and later as Vice President of Occupational Education, Marshall oversaw the creation and development of a wide variety of programs, including eight in allied health. He also worked with longtime Midland physician Dr. Viola Coleman to institute an Emergency Medical Technician Program at the school.

I also learned that after retirement from MC, Marshall founded Box Auto Parts & Salvage, where he enjoyed his hobby of restoring and rebuilding classic cars - and where My Favorite Landman and I would bring our vehicles for repair. Reading Ed Todd's report, I found out that he took no financial profits from the business, as all profits were used to send his employees to Midland College ... and that several of those employees, after improving their skills, moved on to higher-paying jobs.

And all of this is just a sample of the story Marshall Box could tell ... I wish I'd known him better.