An American College Student into a G.I
By Adair Olney
William “Bill” Albert Lukey
September 27, 1922 - November 9, 2016
Citation: "William Lukey in U.S School Yearbooks, 1900-1999,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/285892295:1265?tid=&pid=&queryId=aa0328a1a25bc3e30282cd02db7a0ad9&_phsrc=cEA320&_phstart=successSource, accessed August 31st, 2021.
Dedicated to both education and his country, Bill Lukey spent his years as a young man between college and the Pacific Theater during World War II. Born and raised in Illinois, Bill would travel to the Pacific Theater, back home to the Midwest, to Florida, Arizona, and Colorado, all because of his involvement in the United States Air Force.
Floyd and Clara E. Lukey welcomed William “Bill”, Albert Lukey on September 27, 1922.[1] Born to natives of Illinois, Bill was born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, a small city in the center of the state; the city would be Mr. Lukey’s home for most of his life. Decatur is known for the car industry, especially the production of Chevrolets, and was once the home of former American president Abraham Lincoln.[2] Bill was raised alongside his sister Edna, and brother Robert.[3] Their father, Floyd Lukey, owned and operated a construction company in the heart of Decatur, called Floyd Lukey Construction; Bill would dedicate much of his professional life to assisting his father in the family business.[4]
Bill attended Millikin University, a college in Decatur.[5] Founded in 1901 and boasting an undergraduate population of 1,995, Milliken was were Lukey attended classes for a total of four years, yet his college education would be disturbed by the outbreak of World War II.[6]
As a student, Bill took an active interest in the many clubs, both social and athletic, that Millikin had to offer. He was a dedicated member of the basketball team and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and even held the position as the manager of the intramural football team at the college.[7]
However, Bill’s days as a college student would come to a full stop when he was twenty years old. He was in the midst of his sophomore year when the United States joined the war. Bill signed up to serve once his sophomore year was finished. Similar to the impact of COVID-19, World War II greatly changed the American education system; students across the country were forced to adapt to new changes, especially the young men, many of whom later volunteered their service for the U.S’ war effort.
An article from Harvard University’s newspaper from 1956, The Crimson, describes the flurry of excitement and chaos that ensued after the country’s position in the war became clear: the Provost of Harvard declared “We firmly believe that every physically qualified man of college age should be trained for the Armed Services unless specifically assigned to other work by an appropriate federal agency.”[8] Educational institutions across the country, including Harvard, pledged “all the resources” of their organization for the war effort, and their students were no exception.[9] Their educations would have to be put on hold for the next four years, as defeating fascism became America’s number one priority. Perhaps as a mechanism to rouse the young men for war duties, a guest visit from Winston Churchill, “the man regarded as the greatest figure of the times” surprised students from Harvard one afternoon in 1943.[10]
During his time as a soldier in World War II, Bill served in the Pacific Theater in the Army Air Corps.[11] His service entailed flying C-47 transports in the Pacific, and he “flew over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean mostly by dead reckoning” because “navigation equipment was still in its infancy.”[12] C-47 transports were a common transport aircrafts used during World War II by Allied Forces. These planes could carry up to “6,000 pounds of cargo” and around “28 soldiers in full combat gear” and due to the fact that “every branch of the U.S military and all the major allied powers flew it,” General Eisenhower termed it “one of the most vital pieces of military equipment used in winning the war.”[13]
While Allied forces celebrated their victory over Nazi Germany on May 8th, 1945, V-E Day, American men fighting in the Pacific could not celebrate just yet. The war against the Japanese raged on well into the summer until both country’s fates were sealed with Hiroshima. After U.S Armed Forces dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th, 1945, Japan agreed to surrender on August 14th, 1945, after which “American forces began to occupy Japan” along with the Soviet Union who had invaded Japanese-occupied Manchuria.[14] The world’s deadliest conflict was officially finished for men like Bill Lukey on September 2nd, 2021.
Upon completion of his duties in World War II, Bill returned home to Decatur. He resumed his studies at Millikin University and graduated in 1947.[15] 1948 saw the creation of the United States Air Force, which would see twenty years of Bill’s service and subsequent retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel after his time in the Air Force Reserve.[16]
While their studies had been interrupted for a few years, those returning from war were met with a happy surprise regarding their educations — the G.I Bill. The Servicemens’ Readjustment Act of 1944, “assisted nearly 8 million World War II veterans…including funds to attend school,” providing great opportunities for service personnel returning home to American soil after a hard-fought war.[17] It is highly likely when Bill Lukey returned to Millikin University in 1945, he shared his classes with fellow students who also recently returned home from the fronts.
Bill’s future wife was also a longtime resident of Decatur, as well as an alumna of Millikin University.[18] Marjorie “Joann” Lukey was born on August 27th, 1923 and spent a large portion of her life in Decatur.[19] She and Bill were married in 1944 and spent the following sixty-six years with one another.[20]
Citation: “William A. Lukey Obituary,” Bohlenderfuneralchapter.com,
Joann and Bill not only shared a hometown and an alma mater, but they both sacrificed parts of their lives for the benefit of others; for Bill this meant being in the United States Air Force, for Joann it meant a dedication to United Way, an international network of almost 2,000 nonprofit organizations.[21] United Way’s website includes their mission in this slogan: “United Way advances the common good in communities across the world…” with a focus on education, income, and health.[22] Through dedication and heart, Joann Lukey became an integral part of the organization as the coordinator for the WIC program for Macon County, Illinois, a program specifically dedicated to women, infants and children.[23]
The Lukeys left Decatur upon their retirement and traveled south to the warm and sunny climate of Ocala, Florida.[24] They spent about ten years in the Sunshine State before moving again to Prescott, Arizona, before they relocated for the last time to Fort Collins, Colorado.[25]
Fort Collins was the final stop for the Lukeys and they spent the last of their days together in the Worthington, a retirement community.[26] The Air Force always remained a constant part of the Lukey’s lives, due to the fact that Bill was a Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel.[27]
Bill Lukey passed away on December 9th, 2016, at the age of ninety-four years old.[28] Joanne, his beloved wife of over sixty years, had passed six years earlier on April 16th, 2010.[29] Bill is survived by his daughter Susan Mansfield of Fort Collins and his son-in-law Robert Mansfield, as well as two grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, a niece and a nephew.[30]
Footnotes ↓
[1] "William A Lukey, 1940 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/139326713:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=4a116405037e26968f5d417daaa2bed7&_phsrc=cEA292&_phstart=successSource, accessed July 10th, 2021.
[2] “10 Best Things To do in Decatur, Illinios,” Trip101.com, https://trip101.com/article/best-things-to-do-decatur-il#:~:text=Decatur%20is%20the%20largest%20city,in%20the%20center%20of%20town., accessed July 26th, 2021.
[3] “William A. Lukey Obituary,” Bohlenderfuneralchapter.com, https://www.bohlenderfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/William-Lukey/#!/Obituary, accessed August 17th, 2021.
[4] "William Lukey in the U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/40153625:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=4a116405037e26968f5d417daaa2bed7&_phsrc=cEA291&_phstart=successSource, accessed July 10th, 2021.
[5] "William Lukey in U.S School Yearbooks, 1900-1999,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/139326713:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=4a116405037e26968f5d417daaa2bed7&_phsrc=cEA292&_phstart=successSource, accessed July 10th, 2021.
[6] “Millkin University,” USNews.com, https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/millikin-university-1724#:~:text=The%20most%20popular%20majors%20at,%2C%20Leisure%2C%20and%20Fitness%20Studies., accessed July 26th, 2021.
[7] "William Albert Lukey, U.S School Yearbooks, 1900-1999,” Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/1265_b903024-00033?usePUB=true&_phsrc=cEA310&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=1385715362, accessed July 11th, 2021.
[8] “College Life During World War II Based on Country's Military Needs,” TheCrimson.com, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1956/12/7/college-life-during-world-war-ii/, accessed July 26th, 2021.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
[12] “William A. Lukey Obituary,” Bohlenderfuneralchapter.com, https://www.bohlenderfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/William-Lukey/#!/Obituary, accessed August 17th, 2021.
[13] “C-47 Skytrain Military Transport,” Boeing.com, https://www.boeing.com/history/products/c-47-skytrain.page, accessed August 17th, 202I.
[14] “World War WWII in the Pacific,” Encyclopedia.ushmm.org, https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/world-war-ii-in-the-pacific#:~:text=After%20Japan%20agreed%20to%20surrender,Union%20on%20September%202%2C%201945., accessed July 29th, 202).
[15] "Lukey, William "Bill" A. 47,” Millikin.edu, https://millikin.edu/alumni-friends/memorial/lukey-william-bill-%E2%80%9947, accessed July 10th, 2021.
[16] William A. Lukey Obituary,” Bohlenderfuneralchapter.com, https://www.bohlenderfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/William-Lukey/#!/Obituary, accessed August 17th, 2021.
[17] “Uncovering the Devastating Impact of World War II on American Education,” Theadvocate.org, https://www.theedadvocate.org/uncovering-devastating-impact-world-war-ii-american-education/, accessed July 26th, 2021.
[18] "Obituary for Marjorie J. Lukey,” Bohlenderfuneralchapel.com, https://www.bohlenderfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Marjorie-Lukey/#!/Obituary, accessed July 11th, 2021.
[19] "Marjorie J Lukey,” Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172888685/marjorie-j-lukey, accessed July 11th, 2021.
[20] Ibid.
[21] "Obituary for Marjorie J. Lukey,” Bohlenderfuneralchapel.com, https://www.bohlenderfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Marjorie-Lukey/#!/Obituary, accessed July 11th, 2021.
[22] “United Way,” Unitedway.org, https://www.unitedway.org/#, accessed July 29th, 2021.
[23] "Obituary for Marjorie J. Lukey,” Bohlenderfuneralchapel.com, https://www.bohlenderfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Marjorie-Lukey/#!/Obituary, accessed July 11th, 2021.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Ibid.
[26] Ibid.
[27] Ibid.
[28] "Lukey, William "Bill" A. 47,” Millikin.edu, https://millikin.edu/alumni-friends/memorial/lukey-william-bill-%E2%80%9947, accessed July 10th, 2021.
[29] "Obituary for Marjorie J. Lukey,” Bohlenderfuneralchapel.com, https://www.bohlenderfuneralchapel.com/obituaries/Marjorie-Lukey/#!/Obituary, accessed July 11th, 2021.
[30] "Lukey, William "Bill" A. 47,” Millikin.edu, https://millikin.edu/alumni-friends/memorial/lukey-william-bill-%E2%80%9947, accessed July 10th, 2021.
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