Coaching and playing sports with his kids kids gave him thrills that he loved to recount. His life and careers were typified by concern for his family and country and by his faith in God.
Michael James Petruno was born in Sykesville, PA. His
lifetime was much too short a trip for one who enjoyed life to the
fullest. Mike's father, John, immigrated from Czechoslovakia at the age
of 13. He met his wife Susan, who, while U.S. born, was also raised in
Europe. They had a family of 4 sons and two daughters. The European
immigrant's ethic of hard work to achieve success passed on to Mike's
generation. Mike moved to Cleveland at the age of 6,
along with the Petruno clan, and his love affair with athletics, the
Browns, and the Indians began in earnest. He gained a deep-seated faith
through St. Joseph's Byzantine Catholic Parish in the Newburg suburb of
Cleveland. He excelled in several sports, notably football, basketball,
and baseball. He often recounted anecdotes about being the last white
player on East Technical High School's basketball team. Long before the
"jumping" jokes, Mike could jump! He left Cleveland and East Tech as an eager "Jim"
Petruno but became a fixture in the Class of ‘57 as "Mike." He dove into
the 7-foot-deep swimming pool along with the other new cadets to swim
the required 8 laps for the swim test. Rather than rising to the
surface, Mike became a trail of bubbles to the bottom. When removed from
the pool and asked why he hadn’t simply said he could not swim, he said,
"I watched the others and knew I could do it too." Do it too, he did,
and then some! Mike was a big, brawny athlete with a rugged, tough-guy
appearance that belied a genuinely gentle, considerate, compassionate,
and caring man. He was a very determined, competitive young man,
academically and athletically He was a steady solid force on the Army
football team, in the interior line, playing both offense and defense
where, he used to sat, "the real fun is." Mike's plebe tear roommates came from Cleveland: Jerry
Mierzejewski - later Meyers, and from Texas: Dick Stephenson. Mike and
Dick roomed together all 4 years. These 3 men remained close for the 35
years since West Point. Academics, athletics, and Cadet Glee Club made
Mike a well rounded cadet respected by all. He was gifted academically,
with the West Point curriculum serving as warm-up for his later M.S. and
Ph.D. degrees in engineering and math from Texas Tech. Mike chose the Air Force at graduation. He married Betty
Vissia on 12 Aug 1961 in the Offutt AFB Chapel. Their family grew to 4
more Petrunos: Stephen, Michele, Elizabeth, and Joseph. Mike retired as
a Division Chief at the Air Force Test & Evaluation Center, Kirtland
AFB. As a result of his honesty, warmth, openness, and candor, Mike was
a trusted advisor to the commander and a highly effective mentor to both
junior officers and civil servants. His "protégés" include two "flag
rank" civil servants, a vice president of a major defense firm, and
several colonels. Upon retirement, Mike joined Sandia Laboratory At
Sandia, he was known as a man who was quick to help, had a keen sense of
humor, and provided original and constructive insights. A member of the
local West Point Society; Mike directed the Leadership Award Program
that encouraged outstanding Albuquerque students to attend service
academies. Coaching and plating sports with his kids gave him
thrills that he loved to recount. His life and careers were typified by
concern for his family and his country and by his faith in God. He was a devoted husband and a very proud father. Word
pictures are inadequate, but reflections of Mike reveal love, tolerance,
patience, forgiveness, optimism, hope, and fun. During his illness, he was overwhelmed by the love and
support he received from his classmates. During this two-year struggle,
Mike was the inspiration and strength for us all, rather than the other
way around. He and Betty courageously attended the ‘57 Mini-Reunion in
Colorado for the Army-Air Force football game in 1991. All of us were
inspired by their effort. At his death, Mike had lost both parents (his
father to black lung disease, the year before Mike entered West Point)
and a brother and sister. In December 1992, we gathered at the Catholic
Chapel at West Point and rose individually in testimony s to how Mike
had enriched each of us, our lives, and the Long Gray Line. His
laughter, his wit, and his ""take it head-on"" attitude toward all
adversity served him well. We lost a great one. Each of us is better for
having had our time with Mike. God speed, and well done, Mike! His family, classmates, and fiends He dove into the 7 foot-deep swimming pool along with the other new
cadets to swim the required 8 laps for the swing test. Rather than
rising to the surface, Mike became a trail of bubbles to the bottom.
When removed from the pool and asked why, lie hadn't simply said he
could not swim, he said, "I watched the others and knew I could do it
too." |
