Alan Alexander MacGregor – Lieutenant Colonel, United States Army

Alan Alexander MacGregor, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Ret), age 80, died in Tucson, Arizona after a short illness on Monday, May 11, 1998. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Doris Elizabeth; his step-son, Dr. Victor R. Baker of Tucson; and son, John M. MacGregor of Peachtree City, Georgia; four grandchildren.

The eldest son of immigrant parents, Alan was born in 1917 in Winsted, Connecticut, later attending the University of Connecticut. He entered military service upon graduation in 1939, and was on active duty at the outbreak of the Second World War.

Captain MacGregor's war record led to France as a commander of an infantry company, and he earned the Purple Heart and Bronze Star in action during 1944. In the Korean War, he was again decorated as a Major, commanding an infantry battalion. Alan became a lifelong member of the Disabled American Veterans.

As a Lieutenant Colonel, Alan completed his military career as a nuclear weapons inspector during tours in Europe, and was the deputy commander of Killeen Base, Texas, a nuclear installation. He was awarded the Defense Joint Service Commendation Medal for this work in 1967, when he retired after 22 years of active military duty.

Military life was not his only public service. After military retirement, he settled in Albuquerque, first completing his Master's degree at the University of New Mexico. He then entered a new career as a civil servant with the Air Force in personnel administration at Sandia (later Kirtland Air Force) Base, serving as Incentive Awards Office and Employee Development Specialist.

His second retirement in 1980 led to his move to southern Arizona. Alan became a patron of philately while living in Tucson. He was an acknowledged authority on Irish postal history and a supporting member of the Postal History Foundation. A memorial service will be held in Tucson on May 18th, and burial will follow at the family's convenience at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

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