Arthur Joseph Drew

Col Arthur Joseph Drew was born in Akron Ohio on January 6 1922 to Polish immigrant parents. He lived with his sister Dorothy on a farm in the early years and worked for Curtis-Wright aircraft co in the war years as a precision machinist building P-40 Warhawk landing gear assemblies. Finally the war caught up with Art and he joined the Army Air core and took cadet training in Lubbock Texas starting with Stearman Biplanes and PT-19 low wing trainers. Art graduated to P-47 Thunderbolts and was scheduled to be shipped off to European combat. After WW II Art was re-activated into the Korean war and decided after he served 2 years in Korea to make the Air Force his lifetime career. He traveled the world for the next 25 years serving time in Madrid Spain with the USAF First Missile division, Hickam AFB in Hawaii, and Vandenburg AFB in California. Arthur was trained in high level security communications at Bell Labs in Massachusetts and served the most of his later years managing the USAF Airborne Command centers protecting the United States against a surprise attack from our cold war adversaries. Art's wife Pauline (Pat) Drew passed away in 2000 and is buried at the Riverside National (Military) Cemetery in Riverside California. Art will be laid to rest beside her Friday April 23 2010. Arthur is survived by his two sons Dennis Arthur Drew and James Allan Drew, Dennis's three children Shel, Genet and Sharon. Art's sister Dorothy Delisle still lives in Southgate California as well.