San Joaquin-Sacramento County CA Obituary Project Obituaries.....Shank, Willard October 25 2004 ********************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/obits/obitsca/obitsca.htm ********************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Vickie Stone VctrStV4U@aol.com October 29, 2004, 12:02 am Lodi News October 27, 2004 Lodi native Willard Shank, who led state's National Guard, dies at 82 By Scripps-McClatchy Western News Service Willard A. Shank, the Lodi native who rose to become California's top citizen soldier as commanding general of the California National Guard, died Monday in Sacramento. He was 82. A third-generation Californian, Shank was born on Nov. 9, 1921 in Lodi where he grew up. He had been in failing health since suffering a stroke four years ago, said his wife, Elizabeth. Willard Shank He was the state's chief assistant attorney general when then-Gov. George Deukmejian selected him to lead the National Guard. Holding the rank of major general, he was the organization's commander from 1983 until his retirement in 1987, after 45 years in the active duty military, Reserves and National Guard. Deukmejian then appointed him to the state Public Employment Relations Board. In his spare time, Shank, a prominent Sacramento attorney and civic leader, taught administrative law classes as an adjunct professor at McGeorge School of Law, Golden Gate University and California State University, Sacramento. "He was truly an officer and a gentleman, and was without peer as a public servant," said Maj. Gen. Tom Eres, the Guard's present commander. "He cared for people, he believed in good government and was an outstanding lawyer. "To me personally, he was a mentor and, on occasion, a tutor. I will miss him deeply." Native Lodian and historian Ralph Lea, while not knowing Shrank well, remembered his family as being very prominent in the city and Shrank being the type of person who would always help his community. "He was one of the type of people we don't find very often any more," Lea said Tuesday. As the Guard's top general, Shank presided over a major transformation of the organization -- more integration with active-duty components, an increase in overseas training missions, and beefed up training. A track star at Lodi High School, Shank remained a long-distance runner well into his late 60s. "At one time, he held the record for 55-year-olds in the 5,000 meters," his wife said. "He specialized in 5K and 10K runs. He ran two marathons." Shank emphasized the need for physical fitness, encouraging his soldiers to take up long-distance running. "He often ran with us," Lt. Col. Stan Zezotarski recalled. "You could say he sort of picked the guard up and got it running, both literally and figuratively." Mr. Shank's military career began a few days after the outbreak of World War II in December 1941. He enlisted as a private in what was still then the Army Air Corps and was stationed at McClellan Field in Sacramento before earning a commission, and serving as an ordnance officer at a series of stateside bases. After the war, he finished his education at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated from law school in 1949, and eventually joined the National Guard in 1952 as a legal affairs officer. Moving to Sacramento, Shank joined the attorney general's office, specializing in civil cases and administrative law. He climbed through the ranks, becoming chief assistant attorney general. He was married to the former Elizabeth Beck, whom he met in 1942 at Grinnel College in Iowa while attending officer candidate school. They reared three children, two sons and a daughter, and celebrated their 60th anniversary May 30. At various times, Shank served as an emergency room volunteer at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Morse Avenue and as a member of the governing boards of Friends Outside and the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento. "He was also involved in church work, played bridge, worked on our mountain cabin in Calaveras County and sang in the choir," his wife said. "We had a wonderful life together." Shank is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Beck Shank of Sacramento; sons, Brian Shank of Folsom, Warren Shank of Rocklin; daughter, Priscilla Wagner of Colorado Springs, Colo.; nine grandchildren; and a great-grandchild Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Arden Christian Church, 4300 Las Cruces Way, Sacramento. News Sentinel City Editor Chet G. Diestel contributed to this report. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanjoaquin/obits/gob2393shank.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/caobfiles/ File size: 4.9 Kb