Arch Lee Handy

Arch Lee Handy, former Chief, Plans and Readiness Division, Department of Defense at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and local owner of the Handy Stamp Shop in Bel Air, died of health problems relating to dementia and cancer. He was 91 years old. Born in a sharecropper's family in Crumpler, Ashe County, North Carolina on November 28, 1925, to Everett and Pearl Handy, they moved to Long Bar Harbor, Maryland, during the Great Depression, with his family including Arleen, his sister, and brothers Everett, Jr., and William in 1939. He graduated from Old Post Road High School in 1942.

After working a year in the Adam's grocery store, Aberdeen, Maryland, Arch went to government employment at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1943. In 1944, the US Army began recruiting young men with exceptional test scores into a specialized training program under the command of Major General Burress. He entered this Army unit after his eighteenth birthday, on March 8, 1944. After infantry basic training at Camp Wheeler, Georgia, he was assigned to the Seventh Army, 100th Infantry Division, 398th Regiment (nicknamed by the French citizens the "Sons of Bitche" due to the battle for Bitche, a western French town leading to the second most famous flag rising of World War II), with which he served as a combat infantryman, arriving in the southern invasion at Marseilles, France, in three European campaigns, viz., Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe, including fighting alongside the French 1st Army and French Resistance fighters, the Battle of Bulge, and Operation Northwind. He assisted in the liberation of several slave labor camps in southern Germany. After V-E Day, he served for another year in the U.S. Army of Occupation as well as entering Heidelberg University in 1945.

He continued his studies upon returning to the United States at the University of Baltimore in 1946, and with the assistance of the GI Bill, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1950. Arch was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and served as its president from 1949-1950. In 1951, he married Rita Angela Ciemny, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Overlea, Maryland. Their marriage of 62 years ended with the death of Rita in 2013.

He was employed by the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Material Command, Edgewood Arsenal (now under the command of Aberdeen Proving Ground), Maryland. During his 36-year career with the Department of Defense, he served throughout the United States and overseas, including activities in the then territory of Hawaii, Japan, South Korea, Okinawa, Taiwan, Germany, France, Italy, and Vietnam. Upon his retirement in 1981, he received special commendations from the U.S. Secret Service and the Military Office of The White House. Marvin Beaman, Director, White House Military Office, wrote upon Mr. Handy's retirement "your personal efforts have contributed substantially to the protection and support of the President of the United States. Under your direct supervision, many sensitive and demanding projects were initiated and carried through in a highly professional manner. Many of these excellent Presidential support programs will continue and are lasting in nature." Mr. H.S. Knight, Director of the U.S. Service, also wrote "your contribution to the mission of the United States Secret Service has been invaluable."

Arch, after his retirement, established with family members the Handy Stamp Shop, in Bel Air, and operated the shop for almost 30 years. He was active in the world of philately, being a lifetime member of the American Philatelic Society, a member of the American Stamp Dealers Society, and the Harford County Stamp Club, serving as president of this organization in the 1960's.

He was extensively involved in the Harford County community; serving as a baseball coach for little leaguers and President of the first Homestead-Wakefield PTA. He donated time, money, and personal efforts to those struggling with economic and racial inequalities. He established a scholarship in the 1990's for AP US history students at Bel Air High School.

Mr. Handy remained active in several military veterans' organizations, serving as President of the 100th division in 1964. He spoke often about his World War II experiences at local schools, veteran's events, and at the Maryland Historical Society. He attended in 2003, under the auspices of Mr. Jan Scruggs, director of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, a conference in Washington, D.C., with a Vietnamese delegation to work on improving the relationship between the United States and Vietnam. He received the Distinguished Service Award, 100th Division Association, for "his years of devoted service and major contributions to the Association's objective of promoting and preserving friendships among members and the spirit of the Division, as it existed in World War II" in 2008. In November 2016, he was awarded the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, France's highest distinction, at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., as recognition of the French nation's gratitude for his personal contribution to France's fight for liberty during World War II.
Mr. Handy's hobbies included golf and bowling. He was a life-long supporter of the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Colts, Aberdeen Ironbirds, Baltimore Ravens, as well as the University of Maryland and University of Baltimore athletic programs. He attended the theatre often, including Painter's Mill in the 1960's, Lyric, and the Kennedy Center.
In addition, he wrote numerous articles for local, state, and national publication. He assisted World War II historians, including Dr. Stephen Ambrose and Andrew Carroll, with background information, submitting written reflections to the U.S. Army Military History Institute at the Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania, George C. Marshall Reserve Library in Lexington, Virginia, and the University of New Orleans. His written work during the winter of 1944 as a combat soldier entitled "Reflections on Christmas 1944" during the Battle of the Bulge appeared in the book War in the Ruins: The American Army's Final Battle Against Nazi Germany, written by Dr. Edward G. Longacre, 2011.

Mr. Handy had been a lifetime member of St. Margaret's Church in Bel Air, Maryland.

Mr. Handy is survived by two sons, Dr. Robert A. Handy and wife, Janet, of Bel Air, and Donald W. Handy of Reading, Pennsylvania; a brother William Handy of Elkton, Maryland; four grandchildren, Curtis, Lynn, Greg, and Beth; one great-grandchild, Chase.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Downtown Sailing Center, c/o "Gotta Regatta", 1425 Key Highway, Suite 110, Baltimore, MD 21230. This program provides sailing opportunities in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore City to physically and mentally challenged children and adults, including military veterans.