Andrew W. Lamar, Jr

Andrew W. "Andy" LaMar, Jr.
Colonel, USA

Andrew W. “Andy” LaMar, Jr. was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1922. His early years were full of change as he and his mother moved frequently with his father, Col. A.W. LaMar Sr., who worked in and commanded Civilian Conservation Corps camps around the country. 

LaMar graduated from High School in Medford, Oregon after becoming the state high hurdles champion in his senior year. In 1941 he matriculated to Alabama Polytechnic Institute in Auburn to study electrical engineering and to run the high hurdles for legendary coach Wilbur Hutsell.

LaMar entered the U.S. Army in April 1943 as a Private E-2. After completing the competitive exams, he was awarded a congressional appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He lettered in track prior to graduating and receiving a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1946.

He attended the Infantry, Airborne and Glider Schools at Ft. Benning Georgia. LaMar courted Jule Pitts DeGraffenried of Auburn and they were married in The Auburn United Methodist Church Founders Chapel in 1947. They soon moved into the devastation of Post-war Europe with the U.S. Constabulary forces along the East-West border in Germany where he soon took command of a tank company in the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

During the Korean War, LaMar served with the 73rd Tank Battalion in the U.S. 7th Infantry Division. At Ft. Campbell, Kentucky he commanded an Airborne Infantry Company in the 511th Airborne Infantry Regiment. Subsequent tours of duty included three years serving in the Military Assistance Advisory Group, U. S. Embassy Belgium, as an Armor Advisor to the Belgian Army and squadron commander in the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fulda Germany.

During his career LaMar attended and taught at Army Service Schools and served on the Army Staff in Washington, D.C. He retired in 1972 after serving four years as Professor of Military Science at Auburn University.

Following retirement from the military, LaMar became involved in shopping center management. He managed the Village Mall in Auburn and a mall in Bainbridge, Georgia for a period of seven years. He served as President of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce in 1978.

LaMar and Jule have four children: Julie, Andy, Bill and Lucy. Jule passed away in 1992 and two years later he married Dixie Houseal of Signal Mountain, Tennessee.  Andrew W. Lamar Jr. passed away on June 25, 2015 at the age of 92.