June 12, 1914: Carl A. Spatz Graduates from West Point with Checkered Reputation

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.

June 12, 1914: Carl Andrew Spatz graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point today and has been commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. He ranked 98 out of 107 in the senior class and his write-up in the yearbook indicated that his indifference to the competitive struggle for high grades and his collection of demerits kept him from a higher standing. While he did well in math, chemistry and French, he had low grades in hygiene, law, and conduct. When he attended the Academy, smoking, drinking alcohol and card playing were considered “sins,” and his biographer Dr. David R. Mets, noted that they failed to purge any of them from his character. He was still marching punishment tours the afternoon of graduation.

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