Richard Pendleton "Pen" Woods was born December 18, 1923 in Fort Smith, Sebastian Co., Ar. to John Powell Sr & Mabel Fairfax Hon Woods. March 31m 1948 Pendleton married Lois Robin Freeman in Sebastian Co. Ar., both being from Fort Smith Ar. Pendleton registered for the military draft June 30, 1942 at Fort Smith, Sebastian o. Ar. November 3, 1942 at Fayetteville, Arkansas he enlisted in the US Army. He states he has completed 1 year of college and his occupation is Foremen. The rest of Col. Pendleton's story is in his obit below. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pendleton Woods, 90, of Oklahoma City, passed away at 8:30 am on Monday, December 1, 2014 at Norman Regional Hospital. He had been living at the Oklahoma Veterans Center in Norman since February. A life-long writer, he continued working until the end of his life, using a computer and printer in his room at the Veterans Center. After hitting his head in a fall in October, his health declined rapidly. Born December 18, 1923 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Pendleton was the second son of John Powell Woods, Sr. and Mabel Fairfax Hon. He graduated from Fort Smith High School (now Northside) in May 1941; earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Arkansas in 1948; and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Oklahoma Christian University in 2005. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1999; and into the University of Arkansas Alumni Journalism Hall of Honor in 2001. Pendleton was married April 3, 1948 to Robin Freeman, daughter of Omar Dillard Freeman, Sr. and Lois Robin Braidwood. After marriage, the couple moved to Oklahoma City, where Pendleton had accepted a job with Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. He served as editor of the company magazine The Meter until 1969, when he left to accept a position with Oklahoma Christian University. There, he organized the "Living Legends" oral history program as a joint project with the Oklahoma Historical Society. Later, he was instrumental in creating Enterprise Square USA and worked for many years with the American Citizenship Center, organizing youth leadership conferences, an effort that he continued until the end of his life. Pendleton served with the 99th Infantry Division during World War II. He was captured on a reconnaissance patrol December 10, 1944, during the German buildup to the Battle of the Bulge. He remained a Prisoner of War until he and others escaped after Russian artillery shelled the compound on April 20, 1945. After the war, he earned his commission at the University of Arkansas, then joined the Oklahoma National Guard. He served as Public Information Officer for the 45th Infantry Division during the Korean War and continued in various positions until he retired as a Colonel in 1983, with a total of 41 years of military service. After retirement, he continued volunteer service with many veterans' organizations, including the Military Order of the World Wars, American Ex-Prisoners of War, the 45th Division Association and the 99th Division Association. He helped found the 45th Infantry Division Museum. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame in 2002. He was a lifelong member of the Christian Church, having been baptized at First Christian Church of Fort Smith. After moving to Oklahoma City, he was at various times a member of First Christian Church, Forest Hill Christian Church, Southwest Christian Church, 12th and Drexel Church of Christ, and Mayfair Church of Christ. However, from 1983 to 2012 he spent every Sunday morning as a volunteer at the VA Hospital, assisting with the chapel service. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity at the University of Arkansas and continued in leadership roles as an alumnus. He served for many years as the Commissioner of Chapter Publications and was editor of the national magazine, The Caduceus from 1979 to 1985. Pendleton was involved with the Boy Scout movement since childhood. He received his Eagle Scout award at the First National Jamboree in Washington, DC in 1937. After moving to Oklahoma City, he served as a Scoutmaster, Explorer Post Leader, and in many other leadership capacities. He received the Silver Beaver Award and the National Eagle Scout Association Outstanding Eagle Award. He was also a leader in many other youth programs, including Camp Fire Girls, Junior Achievement, and DECA. He was involved in many patriotic organizations, including Sons of the American Revolution and Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. For many years he helped to organize the 4th of July parade in Oklahoma City. From 1974 to 1976, he served as Executive Director of the Oklahoma City Bicentennial Commission. He was also involved with the Oklahoma Semi-Centennial Celebration in 1957, as well as the Centennial Celebration in 2007. He was well known as an expert in Oklahoma History, and was a member of the Oklahoma Historical Society and editor of its newsletter Mistletoe Leaves. He was a founding member of the Oklahoma Heritage Association and the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society. He was very involved with bringing the National Cowboy Hall of Fame to Oklahoma City. He was the author or co-author of about 15 books, including a history of Oklahoma City, Born Grown, which won the Western Heritage Award for Best Local History of 1975. His latest book, a history of Boy Scouts in Oklahoma, is scheduled to be published this year. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame in 2007. He was involved in many health-related organizations. He was a founder and president of the Oklahoma Epilepsy Association, and was on the board of many other organizations, including Variety Health Center, Senior Nutrition Program, OKC Mental Health Association and Oklahoma Lung Association. He was an early supporter of beautification efforts and recycling. He was a founder of Oklahoma City Beautiful; president of Keep Oklahoma Beautiful; and board member of the Tree Bank Foundation. He was a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) and was named the Outstanding Young Man of 1953. In 1959, he received the first ever life membership awarded by the Oklahoma City Jaycees. Pendleton was a member, officer, or board member of many other organizations, too numerous to mention. Throughout his lifetime he received awards from many local, state and national organizations. A few of the major awards were: KOCO-TV "Five Who Care" award in 1994; Jefferson Award for Public Service in 1994; Points of Light Foundation Daily Award for September 14, 2006; Older Worker of the Year for Oklahoma in 2007; Community Champion Award from the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging in 2012. Pendleton is survived by a son, Paul Pendleton Woods, of Stillwater, Oklahoma; two daughters, Margaret Robin Woods, of Oklahoma City, and Nancy Lois (Woods) Cox and her husband, Danny Lee Cox, of Pearland, Texas; two brothers, John "Powell" Woods, Jr., of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Daniel Hon Woods, of Little Rock, Arkansas; two brothers-in-law, Omar Dillard Freeman, Jr. and his wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Jane (Wood) Freeman, of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and Samuel Donald "Don" Tressler, Jr., of North Little Rock, Arkansas; two granddaughters, Robin "Danielle" Cox, a third-year Master of Divinity student at the University of Chicago, and Hannah Nicole Cox, a freshman engineering student at Oklahoma State University. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Lois "Robin" (Freeman) Woods; his parents, John Powell Woods, Sr. and Mabel Fairfax (Hon) Woods; a brother, Gaines William Woods, Sr.; and three sisters-in-law, Carolyn (Freeman) Tressler, Lola Lavoy (Keener) Woods, and Dorothy Frances (Bushart) Woods. Pendleton willed his body to the University of Oklahoma Medical School for educational purposes. Thus, he became the first patient, and the first teacher, for a group of first-year medical students. After the close of the school year, his cremated remains were returned to the family for interment at Fairlawn Cemetery, 2700 North Shartel Avenue.