In Memory of a Great Man

My good friend Nathaniel 'Gus' Mencow passed away the day before Memorial Day. This is his tribute, from the Worcester, Massachusetts, newspaper.

WWII veteran Nathaniel Mencow dies

Lifelong mission: to ensure soldiers are remembered
By Mark Melady TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFFmmelady@telegram.com
Nathaniel Mencow is shown at American Antiquarian Society in this 2002 file photo. (T&G Staff File Photo CHRISTINE PETERSON)

WORCESTER— Nathaniel Mencow, a decorated B-17 navigator on daylight bombing raids over Germany — each mission "sheer terror," he once said — who took up teaching at age 70, in part, to tell the story of World War II, died yesterday on the eve of Memorial Day. He was 89. "He epitomized why they were called the greatest generation," Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said last night. "He never stopped giving back." Nor did he stop learning, receiving a master's degree from Worcester State College at age 88 to become the college's oldest degree recipient.

Most of his combat missions were flown between July 1943 and February 1944, well before the invasion of Normandy at a time when the Luftwaffe still dominated German airspace. His brother, Lt. William Mencow, died Nov. 2, 1944, when his plane was shot down over Merseburg, Germany. In a 2005 Telegram & Gazette interview, Mr. Mencow said each of the bombing flights into the heart of the well-defended German industrial centers such as Munster, Regensburg and Schweinfurt were "a horrible experience … sheer terror." On the Munster raid, nine of 17 planes in his group returned. In a sister group in his wing, only one made its way back to England. "I knew a great many friends who were lost," he said, "and I miss them terribly." Mr. Mencow also flew an air support mission for D-Day and helped plan other bombing raids once his combat missions were over. His plane, "Betty Boop – Pistol Packin' Momma" was featured on a History Channel segment. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and other campaign medals and citations. He remained in the Air Force Reserves after the war, retiring in 1963 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Mr. Mencow's life in education was as remarkable as his courage in battle.

After retiring from the furniture business he started, Mr. Mencow went to Worcester State College, graduating in 1988 at age 70. He became a long-term substitute teacher and began the World War II museum at Sullivan Middle School, contributing much of the material himself, including a picture of his brother William. He worried that the war was falling between the cracks of collective memory, especially among the young. "Not only students, but adults lack knowledge of World War II," he told the late T&G reporter John J. O'Connor in a 1998 story. World War II is the biggest event of the 20th century. More than 22 million people died during the war." City Councilor-at-Large Frederick Rushton, who was introduced to Mr. Mencow by his mother, a Worcester public schoolteacher, noted that Mr. Mencow, who was twice given keys to the city, did not restrict his teaching to World War II. "He could have just focused on the war but he was very strong on the Civil Rights Movement and the Armenian Genocide," Mr. Rushton said. "He transcended so many different things." Mr. Murray said Mr. Mencow's mission in the schools was "to teach the lessons of history that so often repeat themselves." The Veterans Day programs Mr. Mencow organized and put on in the school cafeterias were packed, Mr. Murray recalled. "He was a great teacher because he had command of the facts and because he was genuine," Mr. Murray said. Mr. Rushton called Mr. Mencow "a five-star gentleman," and remembered him as spirited, smart and modest — "a real Worcester guy." "Here he was, born and raised here, the son of (Byelorussian) immigrants," Mr. Rushton said. "He goes off to war, performs heroically, slips back into Worcester and leads his life as if nothing happened. Then at age 70, he decides to go get a degree. Every moment of his life he wanted to achieve." "He'll be sorely missed," Mr. Murray said.