Glenn Aswell Stell

GLENN A. STELL Col. Glenn A. Stell, USAF (ret.), died Sunday, June 26th, in Dallas. He was born in Little Rock, AR and, after retiring from the US Air Force, lived in Houston and Kerrville before moving to Kaufman 12 years ago. Born February 19, 1917, Glenn was a child of the depression and took nothing for granted. An excellent student as well as an athlete, he was known as "Doc" at LSU where he played both offensive and defensive end on the great Tiger football teams of the late 30's. He was working in the oil patch to save money when WWII interrupted his plans to attend medical school. He joined the Army Air Corps, flying A-36 dive bombers in the North African, Sicilian, and Italian campaigns of 1942-43 and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was the only member of his original squadron to survive the war. Stationed in Japan after WWII, he entered the Korean War as a jet fighter pilot and squadron commander. He was awarded a Purple Heart when he risked his life pulling a fellow pilot from a burning cockpit. From 1962-1965, Colonel Stell served as commander of the NATO Base in Aviano, Italy, where he supervised the nuclear arsenal and base operations and was revered by the people in the region for mobilizing rescue operations during a catastrophic flood in the Tagliamento River valley. After retiring from the Air Force, Glenn lived and worked in Houston from the mid-60's until the early 80's when he moved to Kerrville with his wife, Georgianna, who predeceased him in 1997. He was always an active civic leader and supporter of education, serving as president of the Kiwanis Club and assisting numerous students with college expenses. He is survived by his sons: Robert Stell of Dallas, Jack Stell of San Marcus and Bill Monroe of Houston, daughters: Joan Edmonds of Pensacola, Florida, Ruth McMaster of Highland Village and Ann Parker of Kerrville, sixteen grandchildren, twenty-seven great grandchildren and many other relatives and friends.