- Date Of Birth: March 17, 1924
- Date Of Death: September 6, 2008
- State: Illinois
John M. Hull Jr 84, died peacefully at home on Saturday, September 6, 2008 of Alzheimer’s.
He was born on March 17, 1924 in Alexis, Illinois at the home of his grandfather, Dr. C. Winbigler. He was the son of John M. Hull, Sr. and Marie (Robison) Hull.
He attended Freeport schools and graduated from FHS in 1942. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 with hopes of becoming a pilot. He was transferred back to the 97th Infantry Division (along with thousands of others) after the Battle of the Bulge, where he was trained as an anti-tank gunner. The 97th Division saw action in France and Germany through 1945. The 97th was transferred to the Pacific Theater in preparation for the invasion of Japan. The war ended before the invasion, so his unit was transferred to Japan as occupation troops instead. The 97th Division became the most traveled division in the entire army having covered over 31,000 miles on land and sea. He received the Bronze Star medal, European Theater Service medal with two stars, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal, and the Japanese Occupation medal. He was a member of “the Greatest Generation”, and a true war hero.
He attended college on the G.I.Bill and received a B.S. and M.S. degrees from Northern Illinois University. He taught for two years in McHenry, Illinois before returning to Freeport to teach chemistry and aeronautics at FHS. In addition, he served on the Freeport Airport Commission as a member, and as chairman. During his teaching career he was the recipient of five National Science Foundation Scholarships, at colleges in Galesburg, IL, Ripon and Madison, WI., Steamboat Springs, CO., and Las Vegas, NM. He married Marilyn Shouer at Grace Episcopal Church, Freeport on June 11, 1949. He is survived by his wife and two sons, John D. Hull of Freeport and Alan D. Hull of Canton, MI, and by his nephew, Laurence Hull Wilson (Mary) of Seattle, WA.
He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Jeanne Hull Wilson, and a brother-in-law, Jon W. Wilson.
