Obituaries: John A. Calabro Jr.
July 15, 2013
On July 9, 2013, our nation lost a truly great soldier-scholar. John A. Calabro Jr. of Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, while visiting family with his wife Angela in Anna Maria Island, FL. He was 67. John was a colonel, United States Army; Ph.D.; and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the West Point Association of Graduates.
Born to John and Frances (Yonkauski) Calabro of Forest Hills, NY on January 14, 1946, John had been a beloved resident and faithful leader in the Hudson Valley since 1978. A 1963 graduate of Xavier High School in New York City, John went on to graduate from West Point with the Class of 1968. He was commissioned into the U.S. Army, subsequently serving in Viet Nam, where he was decorated for valor. Soon thereafter he was selected to join the faculty of the United States Military Academy's Department of English. He would earn advanced degrees from Columbia University (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (Ph.D.), teach at the University of Nijmegen in The Netherlands, and rise to the rank of full professor on the West Point faculty. Most important, he became a cherished and highly esteemed mentor and teacher for thousands of cadets and fellow faculty members.
Following John's retirement from the military, he joined the executive staff of the West Point Association of Graduates in 1998. Notably, he served for seven years as the Vice President for Alumni Support, managing services for more than 45,000 West Point graduates and their families. In this role John was known for his sympathetic, innovative, and efficient management of the Association's support for classes, West Point societies, and individual graduates. Since 2007 John had served as second-in-command at the Association, personally guiding the integrated functions of the organization and serving as the Association's secretary.
An accomplished writer, watercolorist, gourmet cook, and musician, John Calabro was also a fine athlete who enjoyed competition, passionately playing racquet sports and golf, maintaining a lifelong devotion to fitness. He will be remembered for his humor, integrity, and sense of fairness. His volunteer activities included leadership in the founding of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New Windsor, NY, and service on the Putnam County Historical Board. A ceaseless learner, John was truly a Renaissance man; in recent months he had undertaken a program to teach himself Italian. At West Point, during the years since his retirement, John continued to teach English and literature lessons as a pro bono, adjunct member of the Department of English & Philosophy faculty. His actions inspired personal achievement and growth in his family and his many friends and colleagues.
John is survived by his wife of 32 years, Angela (Manali) Calabro; their son, Tony, a former U.S. Army officer and currently a business consultant in New York City; John's son, Jac, an attorney in New York City, and his wife, Elizabeth; grandchildren: Joseph, Jake, and Jackson; John's sisters: Mary Calabro of Aiken, SC, and Lori Berg of Yorktown Heights, NY; and countless cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by family, friends and colleagues.
Visitations will be at Quigley Bros. Funeral Home, 337 Hudson Street, Cornwall-on-Hudson NY, 12520. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., Wednesday, July 17th. Memorial Services at West Point, the Cadet Chapel, will begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 18th. Please visit WestPointAOG.org for complete details.
Arrangements are by Kevin Quigley of Quigley Brothers Funeral Home; to send condolences or to get directions to the funeral home, please go to www.quigleybros.com
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