John Marshall Kenderdine – Brigadier General, United States Army

From a conemporary press report:

John M. Kenderdine was born in Fort Worth, Texas on December 6, 1912 to Robert Leonard and Caroline Raab Kenderdine. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1934 with a degree in Petroleum Engineering and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Field Artillery Reserve. Upon graduation he went to work for Gulf Oil Corporation in Crane, Texas, where he met and married the love of his life, Su Anne Carroll.

In March of 1941, he was called to active duty for one year with the Quartermaster Corps to help create the first Pipeline Companies for the US Army. During the war, he served in a variety of assignments in the US and Europe. During the war he received two military patents, one for a method of shipping five gallon gasoline cans (”jerry cans” in a collapsed state, the other for the individual, gasoline fueled cook stove that Ernie Pyle claimed was the best thing done for the average soldier during the war. Toward the end of the war, he directed a major repair and rehabilitation program that salvaged and reconditioned several hundred million dollars worth of clothing and equipment which was either returned to Quartermaster stock or distributed to refugees in Europe. Much of the clothing and support equipment used in the early stages of the Korean War came from the material from this program.

At the end of the war, before he was separated, he served as the Deputy Director of War Assets Administration, which was responsible for transferring property and equipment no longer needed by the federal government to state and local governments and agencies. One of the biggest beneficiaries of this program were the state colleges and universities across the nation who received buildings and equipment that allowed them to meet the enrollment demand that would be created by the GI Bill.

He re-entered active Army service in May 1947 and was assigned to Germany. While serving as the Director of Supply at Giessen Quartermaster Depot, he directed the logistical support for subsistence, petroleum and other items for the Berlin Airlift. He was also responsible for selecting the cargo for the initial flights of the airlift into Berlin. For his service to the Airlift, he was awarded the Berlin Airlift device to the Army of Occupation Medal.

His final military commands were in Philadelphia, when he was the only officer to command both the Defense Industrial Supply Agency and the Defense Personnel Support Center. He commanded these facilities during the early stages of the Vietnam War.

General Kenderdine was regarded as an authority on petroleum safety with particular emphasis on the safety aspects and the handling and storage of aviation fuels, both gasoline and jet fuels. He presented numerous papers and authored several military manuals on the subject.

While serving in the Army, General Kenderdine attended the Command and General Staff College, the US Army War College, the Advanced Management Program and the Executive Decision Institute at Harvard University and the United States Army Air Defense School .

After retiring from the US Army, he was a Vice President at Scott Paper Company for three years, managing their Foam and Container Products. He returned to Fort Worth in 1972 to become the President of C.F. Adams, Inc. He retired from C.F. Adams in 1988, to have more time to travel.

He loved live theatre from the days of the original Casa Mananna and oftened traveled to New York to see plays and musicals. He loved to travel; Paris, France was his favorite city, and the Hotel California was his favorite hotel in Paris. His last trip, in December, 1999, was to Paris and to the invasion beaches in Normandy.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Su Anne Carroll Kenderdine, and is survived by his son, James Kenderdine of Norman, OK; daughter, Su Kenderdine-Brackman of Philadelphia, PA; grandchildren, Jay Kenderdine of Tulsa, OK, Teresa Williamson-Crider and Melissa Lamb, both of Norman, OK; great-grandchildren, Dorian and Logan Crider and Noah Lamb, all of Norman, OK and his brother, Robert L. Kenderdine of Palestine, TX.

The family expresses its deep appreciation to and affection for Estelle Woodward, a long time friend and caregiver to both John and Su Kenderdine.

Graveside services with full military honors 11 a.m., Wednesday, March 1, 2000 at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorials to the Army Emergency Relief, Inc., Department of the Army, 200 Stovall St., Alexandria, VA 22332-0600.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard