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04-03-2008, 07:08 PM
Posted By: <b>Neal</b><p>Stumbled across this very interesting story. <br /><br />Howard `Buzz' Wagner, 83<br />Staff Writer<br />Article Launched: 03/27/2008 01:33:53 PM PDT<br /><br /><br />Howard E. "Buzz" Wagner, a former teacher and principal in the Redlands Unified School District, died of complications of Parkinson's disease March 20 at Marcus Daly Hospice in Hamilton, Mont. He was 83. <br />He was born Aug. 15, 1924, in Kawoizawa, Japan, to Henry Howard and Gladys Wagner. He lived in Japan until 1935, when his family moved to California because they were concerned about rumors of war. <br /><br />As a child in Japan, he spent an afternoon with Charles Lindbergh and his wife, sharing lemonade and cookies after a parade honoring Lindbergh and his aviation accomplishments. <br /><br />While in Japan, his father took him to watch the "Great Bambino," Babe Ruth, play baseball. <br /><br />During World War II he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and after basic training, he was sent to Officers Training School because of his knowledge of the culture and language of Japan. <br /><br />He spent the major part of the war in the Pacific and was in Japan during the cleanup phase at the end of the war and attained the rank of brigadier general. <br /><br />Wagner's family said he was always interested in sports. His older sister Doris began to teach him how to play tennis when he was young, and his family said that throughout his life, he was a tough opponent, using trick shots seemingly at a whim. <br /><br />After his family moved to the United States, he was involved in whatever sport was in season - football, track and field, basketball, golf, tennis. <br /><br />He picked up the nickname <br /><br /><br />"Buzz" because of his running and athletic ability. <br />His family said he particularly loved baseball because he was related to Honus Wagner, who played 17 years for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 and is considered by many to be baseball's greatest all-around player. As a hitter, Honus Wagner put together 17 consecutive seasons of hitting .300 or higher, for a lifetime average of .329. <br /><br />After World War II, Buzz Wagner played AAA, semi-pro ball. When he was playing shortstop, he was scouted by the Chicago Cubs, who offered him a contract for the big leagues. <br /><br />Much to his son's horror, his family said, he thought he was too old and instead went to college. <br /><br />He attended the University of Michigan, Pasadena City College and Point Loma Nazarene University, where he received his teaching degree. <br /><br />While attending Pasadena City College, he met Ruthee L. May and they were married Aug. 12, 1948. <br /><br />After graduation, he began his teaching career in the Redlands Unified School District and commuted to the University of Southern California to earn his master's degree. <br /><br />Soon after that he joined the U.S. Army Reserve, teaching summer sessions on military bases around the country, and retired as a brigadier general. <br /><br />In his 35 years with the Redlands Unified School District, Wagner was a teacher and principal, including teaching fifth and sixth grade at Lugonia Elementary School and serving as principal at Kimberly Elementary School. <br /><br />After retiring from the school district, he and his wife went to Japan for four years, teaching English to prominent businessmen in Tokyo. When they left Japan, he and his wife moved to Hamilton, Mont., to be near their son and grandson. <br /><br />After a short time, he went back to teaching, at Hamilton Christian Academy. <br /><br />He had been a member of the Kiwanis Club in Redlands and in Hamilton, Mont. <br /><br />His wife Ruthee died Aug. 15, 2001, after a nine-year battle with cancer. <br /><br />He married Terry Giles in May 2003 and in recent years they lived with her daughter and son-in-law Ken and Lorrie Young. <br /><br />Survivors include his wife Terry Giles-Wagner of Hamilton, Mont.; his son Michael Wagner of Hamilton; his daughter Jan Wirth of Missoula, Mont.; grandchildren Joshua, Laura, Chris, Megan and Jordon; and one great-grandchild. <br /><br />A memorial service was held today at the Daly-Leach Chapel in Hamilton, Mont. <br /><br />Memorial donations may be made to the Marcus Daly Hospice, 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT 59840; or to a charity of the donor's choice.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />