Shenandoah County Library Archives

Shenandoah County Library Digital Archives

Wilson Rufus Caskey

Files

http://10.10.10.10/zach/Morrison08000jpg/08963.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

Wilson Rufus Caskey

Subject

Massanutten Military Academy (Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va.)
Military academies - Virginia - Woodstock
Military education - Virginia - Woodstock
Cadets - Virginia - Woodstock
Caskey, Wilson Rufus (1913-2004)

Description

Portrait of Massanutten Military Academy (MMA) cadet, Wilson Rufus Caskey, in his school uniform. Caskey is best remembered for his decades-long involvement with the school and as being one of the founders of the MMA Alumni Association.

Caskey was born and grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia. His parents were William Rufus (1874-1969) and Dora (Matthaie) (1879-1969) Caskey. His father owned and operated a successful bakery (Caskey’s Bakery) in Martinsburg until it was sold in 1952.

As a child, he attended football games with his parents at MMA. Later, he returned to Woodstock as a student and was a 1931 MMA graduate. He continued his education, graduating from West Virginia University in 1936. Later, he served in Maryland’s Army National Guard during WWII. He also operated Caskey Supply Company in Martinsburg for many years until he retired.

He married Naomi J. (Hagen) (1915-1999) Caskey and the couple had two daughters: Jennifer Lynette (1954-2015) and Naomi Caskey.

After his graduation from MMA, Caskey maintained contact with the school. He volunteered his time and energy to help start up the alumni association, later becoming its vice president. He was elected executive president of the MMA Alumni Association in 1975, a position he held for 22 years. In 1983, he was also elected to the Board of Trustees at MMA, representing alumni interests there. By 1989, the alumni association began paying him for his service. At the time of his death, he was the alumni director emeritus at MMA.

He was known as a tireless worker so it seems paradoxical, perhaps, that he died while vacationing at Jekyll Island, Georgia. He was 90 years old.

Creator

Morrison Studio

Source

Morrison Studio Collection - Shenandoah County Historical Society

Publisher

Shenandoah County Library

Date

Labelled "Jan 1933" on box of plates.

Contributor

Additional biographical information was compiled from public sources including the book, "Massanutten Military Academy" by Robert Mallory Klein, 2001.
Identified by library staff based on Morrison photograph 004069.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT - NON-COMMERCIAL USE PERMITTED

Relation

Wilson Rufus Caskey appears in Morrison Studio Collection images 004069, 004070, and 008963.

Identifier

008963

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

Glass Negative

Citation

Morrison Studio, “Wilson Rufus Caskey,” Shenandoah County Library Archives, accessed November 21, 2024, https://archives.countylib.org/items/show/30867.

Comments

Allowed tags: <p>, <a>, <em>, <strong>, <ul>, <ol>, <li>