By Alaina Hurst
AHS Reporter 

Pearl Harbor veteran receives AHS diploma

 

January 20, 2017

Jan Benoit

Jack Powell recently received his diploma from Alva High School. After enlisting and serving in World War II, Powell earned his GED but wanted to have his diploma from Alva High.

Jack Irven Powell was born June 21, 1923, and is the second oldest of the nine children of Paul and Vivian Powell. Powell was married to the late Norma Jeane Powell for 54 years, has three daughters, and also has three grandchildren. He is 93 years old.

Powell was born and raised in northwest Oklahoma. He attended Alva High School until he was a sophomore, after which he enlisted in the United States Navy. Powell was called to active duty on Jan. 18, 1941. He later came to be stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Powell is one of the very few Peal Harbor survivors.

Powell was stationed on the USS Medusa from March 1941 to July 1942. He was working on the 6th division of the USS Medusa on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. During the attack, their crew shot at Japanese planes and sank a Japanese submarine. The ship's captain wrote in his log that the performance of all the Medusa's crew was "exemplary." After the bombing Powell was a member of several crews whose main job was to look for survivors.

"It was a terrible day and the men saw unspeakable things. Dad does not talk about this freely," said Jan Benoit, Powell's daughter.

In June of 1942, Powell left Pearl Harbor and headed to a Naval base in San Francisco, California. He was later stationed in Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois; Guam; Mariana Islands; and Long Beach, California. Powell retired from the United States Navy in 1960.

Powell dropped out of high school when he was 17 years old. Before then he was a member of the Alva High School FFA, and was on the football team. Several years later, Powell decided he wanted to obtain his GED. Powell received his GED while he was still in the Navy in 1959. After his retirement Powell settled in San Diego, California. He worked several different jobs including building houses, trimming trees and working as a reservoir keeper for the City of San Diego Water Distribution. While his three daughters were in school Powell was very involved in the local FFA and 4-H groups.

During the year 2016, Powell decided he wanted to receive his high school diploma from Alva High School. He asked his daughter Jan to look into it, and see what he could do. All they had to do was fill out some paperwork, provide proof of the GED, and submit a request. After they completed all of this, with the help of Terry Smithey, six weeks later Powell received his diploma in the mail. Powell was delighted when he received his diploma, a letter from Superintendent Steve Parkhurst, and an Alva Goldbug.

"I know he is very pleased with his diploma. Dad is very quiet, and does not say a lot, but he is happy. I believe that receiving his diploma after all this time was important to him and he sees it as an accomplishment above and beyond his Navy GED. We are so grateful to everyone at Alva High School who helped us fulfill Dad's dream," said Benoit.

 

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