Title Page | Collection Summary | Biographical/Organizational Note | Scope and Content | Arrangement
Biographical Note
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1926, June 29 | Born, Bryn Mawr, Pa. |
| 1944, June | Graduated, Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, Pa. |
| 1943-1944 | Enlisted, United States Army Air Corps Enlisted Reserve and entered active duty as a private, Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Miss. |
| 1944, Dec.-1945, Aug. | Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Ga. |
| 1945, Aug. 16 | Commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry, United States Army |
| 1945, Oct.-Dec. | Platoon leader and executive officer, 369th Infantry Regiment, 93rd Infantry Division, Morotai, South Pacific Theater |
| 1946 | Platoon leader, 542nd Heavy Construction Company, detailed to the Signal Corps, Philippines |
| 1947-1948 | Promoted first lieutenant, Signal Corps. |
| 1948, Jan. 29 | Married Louise A. Thornton |
| 1948 | Recalled to active duty as a second lieutenant, Signal Corps, Fort Monmouth, N.J. |
| 1949-1950 | Platoon leader, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. |
| 1950 | Platoon leader, L Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, Korea |
| 1951 | Company commander, L Company, 9th Infantry Regiment, Korea |
| 1953 | Promoted to captain, United States Army |
| 1954-1957 | Communications officer, company commander, and assistant operations officer, 2nd Armored Division, West Germany |
| 1957-1960 | Assistant professor of military science and tactics, ROTC program, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Tex. |
| 1960 | B.S. in mathematics, Prairie View A&M, Prairie View, Tex. |
| 1961 | Promoted to major, United States Army |
| 1961-1964 | Assistant G-3 (operations), 4th Logistical Command, Verdun, France |
| 1964 | Promoted to lieutenant colonel, United States Army |
| 1965-1966 | Student, Institute for Defense Analysis and University of Maryland, College Park, Md. |
| 1966 | M.A. in economics, University of Maryland, College Park, Md. |
| 1967, Aug-Nov. | Commander, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. |
| 1967, Dec.-1968, Nov. | Commanding officer, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and assistant commander, 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam |
| 1969, July | Promoted to colonel, United States Army |
| 1969-1970 | Student, National War College, Washington, D.C. |
| 1970-1972 | Commander, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division, Fort Hood, Tex. |
| 1972, Jan.-Aug. | Chief, Armor Branch, Officer Personnel Directorate, Office of Personnel Operations, United States Department of the Army |
| 1972, Aug. | Promoted to brigadier general, United States Army |
| 1972-1975 | Deputy commander, United States Army Training Center, Fort Dix, N.J. |
| 1974, Aug. | Promoted to major general, United States Army |
| 1975-1976 | Commanding general, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Tex. |
| 1976-1978 | Commanding general, United States Army Operational Test and Evaluation Agency |
| 1978, May | Promoted to major general, United States Army |
| 1978, Nov. | Promoted to lieutenant general, United States Army |
| 1978-1981 | Commanding general, 7th Corps, United States Army Europe, Germany |
| 1981-1983 | Deputy commanding general, Training and Doctrine Command, and Army inspector general of training, Ft. Monroe, Va. |
| 1983, Aug. | Retired from the United States Army |
| 1984-1985 | Director, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, Agency for International Development |
| 1985-1989 | Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| 1989-1994 | President, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Tex. |
| 1996-1998 | Superintendent/CEO, District of Columbia Public Schools, Washington, D.C. |
| 2008 | Published Becton: Autobiography of a Soldier and Public Servant. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press |