WWII hero James Megellas ’42 laid to rest at

A funeral with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery saw Lt. Col. James “Maggie” Megellas ’42 laid to rest Sept. 2, 2022.

He was featured in his autobiography, Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe in 2003 and the documentary “Maggie’s War: A True Story of Courage, Leadership and Valor in World War II.” John Ratzenberger of “Cheers” fame played him in the 1977 Hollywood movie “A Bridge Too Far.”

On one of his visits back to campus, Megellas praised the environment of Ripon that led to his success and that of many others. He said his ROTC training gave him and other Ripon cadets a sense of togetherness, of something greater than themselves and a lot of camaraderie.

But the environment of Ripon, itself, was an even greater factor, he said. “What we did get and take with us from Ripon — you’ve

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at any time and they would help you. … It was that environment that made us into the soldiers that we were.”

He said his fellow Ripon soldiers “carried the colors of this College forward,” and Ripon contributed to the success of the men of his generation. “It produced young men who excelled in what they did, and I’m proud to say that I was one of them.”

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Katherine “Kitty” Norton ’76 of Burke, Virginia, right, had a touchpoint with the funeral for James Megellas ’42. Her daughter-in-law, Sgt. Adrienne C. Doctor, left, is a member of The U.S. Army Band (“Pershing’s Own”). A trumpeter, she plays regularly at funerals in Arlington National Cemetery, including Megellas’. “Prior to the funeral, she read about him and watched a documentary on his life,” Norton says. “She saw that he had graduated from Ripon in 1942 and … was particularly honored to play for Maggie.”