BRACK:  Saluting a true blue son of The Citadel

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher  |  Word came early Wednesday that was expected but not welcome:  A good friend, Carroll LeTellier, passed away peacefully that morning.  

We were an unlikely pair — a 57-year-old liberal writer and a 90-year-old retired Army general who was a child of The Citadel and who didn’t hang out much with my kind.

For the last several years, the general, I and a few other former military types have had a standing Saturday breakfast at the Marina Variety Store along the Ashley River.  We chew the fat of the day. They rail about Democrats. I tell them they’ll have another heart attack or health emergency if they keep feeding their Fox news addiction. Conversation is easy, generally not mucked up by politics.  Friendships are real.

The general ordered the same thing every week — two eggs over easy, grits, sausage and an English muffin, no coffee.  He was so predictable about breakfast that our server, Mary, simply asked weekly, “Number four for you?” even though there was no number four on the menu.  He’d nod, periodically inquiring whether the grits were good on that particular day. (The man loved creamy grits.)

For the past few years since the general decided to stop driving, I’d pick him up at 8:10 a.m. sharp.  He’d be ready, reconnoitering the street for my arrival, promptly opening the front door of his West Ashley home and slowly walking down the steps.  He’d soon open the door and thrust in his hand for a shake with a warm but crisp, “Good morning, how’s your week been?”

And so we’d be off — literally and figuratively.  As we headed to the restaurant, we’d catch up about what had happened over the last week — an ailment, a family happening, something in the news.  He’d always inquire about my daughters.

Maj. Gen. Carroll N. LeTellier

After breakfast with the guys, we’d head over to my post office, where he’d cross fingers that there would be some checks in the mail from clients.  Along the way, he might recall walking to his elementary school on upper King Street where he’d save some of his lunch money to buy penny candy. Or, he’d bring up something about the Ravenel Bridge as we passed an office he had while it was being built.  I’d learn about his beloved Citadel, where he grew up a son of Louis S. LeTellier, who joined the college faculty in 1908, 20 years before the general was born. He was a son proud of his father, who became head of the school’s civil engineering department, served as acting president of the institution in 1953, and later was its dean.  LeTellier Hall is named for Louis LeTellier.

A few weeks before the general died, he was visited by another general, the new president of The Citadel, Marine (Ret.) General Glenn M. Walters.  They got to know each over in a two-hour visit that was more than the perfunctory courtesy call. The visit meant a lot to LeTellier.

“Maj. Gen. Carroll LeTellier is revered by The Citadel community,” Walters said in an online tribute. “He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for almost three decades, was known for his engineering designs and direction related to major projects around the nation including the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, and served in numerous capacities as a leader on campus. He will be greatly missed.”

Carroll Nance LeTellier, class of 1949 at The Citadel, served 27 years with the Army in the Corps of Engineers.  He was deployed six times, including during three conflicts in Korea, Lebanon and Vietnam. Bearer of a master’s degree in civil engineering from MIT, he also served as the Corps’ district engineer in St. Louis and division engineer in Atlanta.  In the service, he earned the Distinguished Service Medal and five other awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Air Medal.

“Carroll was a two-star general with a solid chance to be the Army’s chief of engineering and wear a third star when he was stricken with cancer,” recalled a Marine friend, retired Lt. Col. Fred Whittle, a former president of The Citadel Alumni Association.  “Still, he lived 44 years more and outlived his two peer generals who did achieve the Army billet he might have had.”

After retiring in 1976, LeTellier had a long engineering career in the private sector as vice president of Sverdrup Corporation where he oversaw the design, construction and upgrades for physical and technical security at 44 U.S. embassies around the world.  In his final four years, he is credited with creating the preliminary designs for the cable-stayed Ravenel Bridge over the Cooper River.

The general and his wife, Mississippi-born Frances Melsheimer LeTellier, were married 63 years.  They had four children, including a son Francis R. Letellier who was a member of The Citadel’s class of 1985.  He, as well as a daughter, Norma Louise, and a son, Carroll Jr., died before their parents. Mary C. LeTellier, a daughter, lives in Charleston.

“Carroll was a faithful, loving husband and father, a stellar Army officer, and an accomplished business executive but also, the most ardent of supporters for The Citadel and The Citadel Alumni Association,” said the association’s controller, Rick Raybon.  “His vision, leadership and determination has helped insure the success of both for decades to come. The Holiday Alumni Center and Hollings Hall stand as a memorial to this selfless and untiring devotion to these institutions.”

The general loved his family, his college, the military, his friends and his church, Grace Church Cathedral which he attended throughout his life in Charleston.  In recent years, he sat on the back row on the right side. We’ll miss seeing his broad smile and outstretched hand as we walk to communion. His funeral will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at Grace.

Maj. Gen. Carroll Nance LeTellier, 1928-2019.  Rest in peace.