Edwin Alexis Bornander

Edwin Alexis Bornander was born on March 5, 1918, to Swedish immigrants Ernest and Margarite Bornander. Edwin, or Eddie as he was known, was the youngest of three children. He graduated from Fife High School in 1936 and attended Washington State College (WSC) from 1937-1941. He graduated from WSC on June 7, 1941, with a BS in Agriculture, with honors. While at WSC, he was actively involved in the WSC All Agricultural (AG) Club, becoming President by 1941. He also joined the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, the Gray W Club, for student athletics and was a manager for the WSC baseball team. Edwin was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity on campus and WSC's Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) program. In 1941, he reached the rank of 1st Lieutenant for the infantry, leading up to Company “A.” He married Elma Beatrice Ryan on September 8, 1942. Edwin was an officer in the US Army, achieving the rank of Captain. He was assigned to the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division and served in the North African and Sicily campaigns. Captain Bornander and his men sailed from Tunisia to Sicily July 9-10, 1943. He was killed in action on November 7, 1943 while personally directing his men to a location where they could take cover from oncoming shells. Bornander was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, in addition to other medals awarded such as the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, One American Defense Service Medal, the Honorable Service Lapel Button, and one Arrowhead Medal. He is buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, Citta Metripolitana di Roma, Capitale in Lazio, Italy. He is memorialized at WSU's World War II Memorial.