Colonel Clarence E. Endy Jr. (Ret) of West Point’s Class of 1960 passed away on 15 March 2026 in Torrance, California. When I was a cadet at the United States Military in 1979-1983, he and his wife Elionora Royola Endy were my “foster” parents for the first three years that I was at the academy. I missed them as such as a senior because Colonel Endy retired in 1982 to work in the private sector. Their “fostering” me as well as other cadets, mostly of Asian descent, made my cadet life feel a semblance of home. I was an allied cadet from the Philippines, so I was very far away from home. In fact, their charity was already apparent from day one when I first arrived at JFK Airport in New York on 1 July 1979. If they had not sent an MP to meet me at the airport that night, I would have been late for my second R-Day the next day. You see, I already went through “Beast Barracks” at the Philippine Military Academy as a member of “Matikas” Class of 1983. R-Day or “Reception” Day began that experience. Colonel Endy was the Assistant Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the academy. It was at his quarters that I first met my future boss, General Fidel V. Ramos, attending his 30^th class reunion. Ramos was a member of USMA Class of 1950. I and the other cadets they fostered frequented the Endy quarters by the Hudson to partake of a hearty meal prepared by Mrs. Endy or just to hang out away from the rigors of cadet life. The Endys were old-school and so valued excellence in every aspect of life, especially academics. They valued integrity above all. While somewhat strict, Colonel Endy had a good heart, and I had glimpses of it as the years went by beyond his retirement from the army.

In his memorial page at the USMA Association of Graduates, I wrote the following testimonial: There are leaders of character among us, and we may not always know them. Right now, I especially think of one. It was him who did not let worldliness blind him. Who shined in whatever he did but never boasted about it. Who touched the lives of many but never burdened anyone. Who, after he retired from corporate life, struggled silently from advanced Alzheimer’s Disease for years until his recent passing. We once rode the train together chatting over beer from San Francisco to Atherton. Very principled, he had lots of wisdom and liked to tell war stories. He had served in Vietnam but also held a doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue. He was a Starman at the academy (top 5% of his class) and served in the Signal Corps and Military Intelligence service branches. His paper at the Army War College in Leavenworth was on the USMA Allied Cadet Program with the Philippines. He and Mrs. Elionora “Li” Endy moved to California after he retired from the Army in 1982. He became CEO of several tech companies generously giving back to his alma mater by the Hudson whenever he could. He had been a shoo-in for star rank. But when I asked him why he decided not to get his well-deserved stars before leaving, he simply replied that it was time he gave back to Mrs. Endy the support and sacrifices she did for him while he wore the uniform serving his country. He said that rank was only a title. I wouldn’t say they didn’t have any children because “we” the younger grads they took care of, were their children. We spoke in Kuala Lumpur in 1995 while I was on a mission and he was on one of his countless CEO trips to Asia. I miss our conversations. He was gentle and kind, but feisty when it came to defending his family and friends and when witnessing wrong. They stayed in touch with us while I served my country even regularly sending box-full of goodies all the way to Manila! Mrs. Endy was a godmother to me and my late first wife Joji whom I met at West Point in 1981. She came to our 1985 wedding in Manila. Joji passed on from cancer in 2018. I remarried to Joy in 2023 in Boston. 

Colonel Sam Endy believed in people. He once wrote to me in 2009 something that touched me and never forgot: “(Your Founder’s Day keynote address) brought a lot of memories. One is that the wise investment in apostles such as you will keep the world on a better path, even though it may stray from time to time. Values count…and always will. Well intended people embracing those values and inspiring others will win out in the end. It is the light that the Dennis Acop’s of the world keep shining on the rest of us that gives meaning to our work here on earth.” — His inspiring words touched me, and I shall always cherish them the rest of my days. I have never forgotten him because of those words. His eloquence and manner of speaking also captured exactly who he was as an individual – his profound depth and breadth of wisdom. He was widely read and had tons of experience both in the public and private sectors. I will always remember him as like a father. Indeed, he and leaders like him remind us that the path of leadership is a lonely path. And that less travelled road of principled leadership is the loneliest but most rewarding path in the end. Very few, like Colonel Endy, ever take it. Well done sir. Be thou at peace.