General Charles P. Summerall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is uncategorized.
Please help improve this article by adding it to one or more categories, so it may be associated with related articles (how?). Please remove this tag after categorizing. |
Summerall Chapel and its namesake are almost inseparable. To know and appreciate Summerall Chapel, one must first have a knowledge of General Charles P. Summerall,President of The Citadel from 1931-1953.Born in Blount's Ferry, Florida, in 1867, General Summerall was educated at Porter Military Academy,Charleston, South Carolina, from 1882-1885. There he was under the tutelage of Reverend Anthony Toomer Porter, a prominent educator and clergyman. Porter Military Academy advertised itself as combining high scholastic attainment and culture with strong incentive to Christian manhood.
While under his stewardship, Dr. Porter influenced young Summerall to enter the Episcopal ministry. Subsequently, Summerall won a scholarship to Hobart College, in Geneva, New York, which then specialized in preparing students for entry into the ministry. The scholarship, however, only covered tuition, and Summerall did not have the financial resources to pay for the other expenses. Summerall had grown up during the Reconstruction era and came from a poverty-stricken family. Wearing clothes made by his mother, Summerall reportedly was given his first pair of shoes when he was 11 years old. After a short teaching career, however,he received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point from which he graduated in 1892.
General Summerall's military service, well documented in numerous sources, spanned three decades and included the Spanish American War 1898), the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1900), and the China Relief Expedition at the time of the Boxer Rebellion (1900-1901). During World War I, he was Commander of the First Division and later the Fifth Corps; both were in the forefront of the fighting in France. He completed his military career as Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He retired from the military in 1930, assumed the duties as the President of The Citadel in 1931, and held the position for 22 years until retiring in 1953.
Summerall died of leukemia on May 14, 1955 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. On his gravestone, he had the words from 2 Timothy inscribed: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
