Keith Holiday Carr

Keith Holiday Carr was born on 9th March 1922 in Nampa, Idaho, to parents Clifford H. Carr and Alma Carr (nee. Gronemeier). Keith was the middle of three children. His older sister, Eldeen C. Carr, was a year older, while his brother, Clayton H. Carr, was five years younger. Keith’s father, Clifford, served in the First World War and was recognized, in his obituary, as being the first Whatcom County resident to enlist in the war. This legacy would later inform Keith’s own military service.

Immense parallels exist between the two sides of Keith’s family. Keith’s father was a second-generation immigrant from England. Clifford’s father Charles, who lived with the Carrs for most of Keith’s childhood, had himself been born in New York just a few months after his family had migrated from Liverpool, England in 1855. Keith’s mother, Alma, was also a second-generation immigrant who relocated from Indiana to meet Clifford in King County, Washington. Her father, also called Charles, moved from Hanover, Germany to Indiana through New York with his family when he was four years old. Charles Gronemeier, born August Gronemeier in 1850, began going by an anglicized version of his middle name “Carl” sometime after his family emigrated in 1854. Keith’s maternal grandfather was a blacksmith, while his paternal grandfather was a machinist. Keith, having spent the majority of his childhood in Bellingham, Washington, would have had greater access to his paternal family while growing up.

After their marriage in 1920, Clifford and Alma Carr relocated to Nampa, Idaho. Their two eldest children, Eldeen and Keith, were born there before the family returned permanently to Bellingham. Keith’s younger brother Clayton was born in Washington. During Keith’s childhood, the Carr family, along with Charles, who resided with the family, took on a boarder. Herbert Thrall, who worked as a gardener possibly for the Carrs, came from Minnesota and lived with the Carrs during Keith’s adolescent years. During this time, Keith became known in his community as an athlete, playing varsity football and baseball for the Bellingham High School Red Raiders. Keith played center in football, helping the team to victory a number of times. He also served as Sports Editor on the school newspaper and participated in the Hi-Y club – a youth program affiliated with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). Keith graduated in 1939.

Keith began his college experience at Washington State College, where he studied from 1940 to 1941 before transferring to the University of Portland. While at WSC, Keith remained the center on the football team, playing under renowned Coach O.E. Hollingberry. At WSC, Keith also joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and played baseball in the intramural league. At the University of Portland, Keith is also reported to have played football, earning a place, according to one of his numerous obituaries, as “one of the university’s all-time great football centers for his performances in 1941-1942.”

Keith registered for the draft in 1942, and by September of the following year had enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, serving as an instructor for aviation training at Roswell Field in New Mexico. While there, he achieved the rank of first lieutenant. During his service, Keith married his wife, Margery Rose Walton. Margery, from McMinnville, Oregon, attended university like Keith and played an active role in Greek life, joining the Delta Delta Delta sorority at Oregon State University. Their wedding announcement indicated that Keith received his commission as a bombardier. Margery played a role in his graduation ceremony by presenting him with his aviator wings. The couple was married in Roswell. Unfortunately, less than two months after their nuptials, Keith was involved in a plane crash. His training bomber crashed after a routine flight about 30 miles outside of Roswell.  Five men were killed in the crash.

Despite his active role on campus in both college and high school, Keith’s legacy has largely been relegated to his studies. Keith’s wife, Margery, played a crucial role in protecting his history and in passing information between Keith’s family, President Holland at WSC, and the broader public. Keith is memorialized on the WSU Veterans Memorial at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.