Clyde Lewis dies at age 95

By JOE LoTEMPLIO
Staff Writer

February 05, 2009 03:28 am

— PLATTSBURGH — Clyde Lewis, the man who was largely responsible for bringing Plattsburgh Air Force Base to the North Country, has died at the age of 95.

Lewis reportedly died at 1:28 p.m. at CVPH Medical Center, where he had been hospitalized for the past week.

His loss was mourned by many throughout the community.

"He did so many wonderful things for the community," said John Ianelli, former mayor of the City of Plattsburgh.

"There were so many things he did for the community that people never knew about. He would do legal work for people at no charge because they couldn't afford it, and he worked so hard at everything he did.

"He was truly an exception and a great American."

Ianelli and his wife, Helen, lived next door to Lewis on the former base property and helped care for him the past few years.

AIR FORCE TIES
Lewis was the man who lobbied the Air Force to bring a Strategic Air Command base to the area in the 1950s.

The base arrived in the mid-1950s and blossomed into one of the largest units on the East Coast, at one time hosting more than 4,000 military personnel and their dependents.

PAFB was closed in September 1995 after the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission, in a controversial move, voted in favor of retaining McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey instead.

While active, PAFB was home to a number of bombers and air-refueling tankers. The latest mission included FB-111 jets and KC-135 stratotankers.

In 1952, Lewis helped found the Plattsburgh Air Force Base Liaison Committee, which hosted testimonials and other events to foster better relations between the military personnel and community. He served as its chairman for decades, sharing the podium at testimonials with his good friend Joe Bornstein.

William McBride, a local car dealer who served as head of the Plattsburgh Intermunicipal Development Corp., the initial group formed to deal with the loss of PAFB, said Lewis was an icon not only locally, but nationally.

"He did so many things during the Cold War for all of the generals that came through here that nobody knew about," McBride said.

"He had friends all over the world, and we all will be missing something special with his passing."

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Dale Wolfe spoke with Lewis on a number of occasions over the years and attended many of the testimonials he organized, as far back as the 1960s.

"He was a pioneer here for the Air Force Base and a pioneer in community relations for the Air Force and local community," Wolfe said.

"He probably created a model for other cities."

VFW COMMANDER
In addition to bringing the Air Force to the North Country, Lewis served for many years as national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

When he was appointed in 1949, he was the first World War II veteran to head the VFW.

He was also a decorated B-17 pilot, flying many missions over Europe in World War II.

"The residents of Northern New York lost a great leader. A World War II veteran himself, Clyde was known to all of us as 'the father of Plattsburgh Air Force Base' and was instrumental in making the base the best of the best for so many years," Congressman John McHugh (R-Pierrepont Manor) said.

"Clyde was one of those rare individuals who, through the life that he lived, served as an inspiration to every American and an example of what can be accomplished with hard work, faith and dedication. Plattsburgh is a better community today because of Clyde, and for that we all owe him a great debt of gratitude."

LAW CAREER
He was a graduate of Notre Dame, having attended the university with the intention of playing football for the storied Irish before an injury curtailed his career. He also graduated from Harvard Law School.

In 1939 he joined the law firm of Feinberg & Jerry, which later became Jerry, Lewis, Wylie & Lyon.

He was a member of the Clinton County, New York State and American Bar Associations.

Lewis leaves behind his wife, Patricia, and two sons, the Rev. Clyde A. Lewis, who is pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Rouses Point, and John E. Lewis.

His first wife, Helen M. Judge, died before him.

'FINE AMERICAN'
"When he was an attorney and I was a young policeman (in the early 1960s), our paths crossed quite frequently," said retired Plattsburgh City Police Chief Herbert Carpenter.

"He was an incredible attorney, an icon for the North Country."

Carpenter came to the area in the mid-1950s as an airman at Plattsburgh Air Force Base and learned of Lewis's role in bringing the Air Force to the North Country almost immediately.

"He was one of the most significant movers and shakers for this community in the last century," he said. "Plattsburgh, in a large part, is what it is today because of Clyde Lewis. We succeeded in fighting off the base closure twice with Clyde's help.

"He was a people person, a down-to-earth guy. He was easy to talk to and would go out of his way to do anything for you."

Carpenter, who retired from the City Police Department after a six-year run as chief in 1981, moved into the private sector as owner of Northeast Printing and worked with Lewis on several community organizations through the '80s and '90s.

"He was hands on," Carpenter said. "He pulled his weight no matter what his assignment was. He did more than his share of work and would work untold hours: that was part of his work ethic."

Carpenter, who lived near Lewis on Cumberland Head, said he can still clearly picture the elderly attorney jogging by his home on a regular basis.

Plattsburgh Mayor Donald Kasprzak first met Lewis when he was in his early 20s.

"Mr. Lewis was always very gracious, and I always greatly respected him and appreciated all the advice he gave me," Kasprzak said.

"He was one of the finest Americans I've ever met, and the North Country should be proud that he hailed from here."

— Staff Writers Jeff Meyers and Stephen Bartlett contributed to this report.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.