Darrell Raymond "Andy" Anderson was born in Red Wing Minnesota on March 2, 1930. His school years were spent in Red Wing, where he excelled in academics, and developed boyhood interests in flying. He also became an accomplished saxophone musician at the age of eight. His idols included big band leaders Glenn Miller, Jimmy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. Following graduation from high school his interest in flying led him to announce to his family that he had enlisted in the Air Force and would soon leave for Basic Training in Texas. While undergoing this training, Andy happened to see an announcement of the availability of positions at the Camp Stewart, NY, Prep School for West Point. It sounded interesting so he applied. He qualified in subsequent exams and was appointed to the 1954 class by Congressman August H. Andresen, who represented the First District of Minnesota.
Andy had no problems with academics and quickly won the reputation of being a "hive." He was always ready to help classmates having academic difficulties. He was quiet, laid back, and a friend to all. After four years, his academic reputation was confirmed with a class graduation standing in the top 10 percent. This high class standing let Andy choose the Corps of Engineers at graduation. The Corps was the right place for a young man who grew up building Tinker-Toy fishing rods and model airplanes. It’s where he knew he belonged and where he was very comfortable.
On a blind date at West Point, Andy met Mary (Meg) Grace Pelgrin from upstate New York. The relationship prospered and they were married after graduation in December of 1954. Classmates and former company A-2 roommates Paul Driscoll and Glenn Creath were in attendance for the happy event. Three daughters were subsequently born to the couple: Karen (1956) and Linda (1958) (both in Heidelberg Germany), and Patricia (1963) in the States. Meg passed in September 1979 from lung cancer while the family was living in Springfield, VA.
Andy’s wide variety of assignments in the Army included a master’s degree program at the University of Illinois, the 1st Cavalry Division in Korea, the U.S. Engineer Alaska District, the Engineer Combat Development Command, the Staff and Faculty at the Engineer School, an Engineer Group in Vietnam, and the Mobility Equipment Research and Development Center in Ft. Belvoir. He retired in 1975 as a Lieutenant Colonel following a twenty-one year career with the Army Corps of Engineers. Andy remained in Virginia, while first working as a stockbroker and then as a consulting engineer for a number of years.
In 1982 Andy married Carmela Angiuli, a delightful Italian lady. The couple traveled throughout the world. These travels included eighteen cruises, the Panama Canal, Germany, Russia, Australia, Hawaii, and ports in Greece, Italy, South America, and Scandinavia. In addition to travel the couple developed a deep love for Jazz and attended many annual Jazz Festivals. For seven years in January, Andy and Carmela vacationed for a week in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles.
Andy left us in September 2004, succumbing to a heart attack at the Alexandria hospital after taking ill the prior evening. He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
— His Wife, Daughters, and a Classmate