NAMES IN THE NEWS : MacArthur Memorial Expands
Jean MacArthur, the 91-year-old widow of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, had her long-time pal Barbara Bush at her side today when she cut a ribbon to open a new research center of the MacArthur Memorial.
Mrs. MacArthur said it was her first speech. “I left all that to the general,” she said.
“When I was with my husband during World War II, I visited many of the hospitals and I used to say to myself that I was so proud of the American military because they were so proud of being Americans,” Mrs. MacArthur said.
“She stood by the general through Corregidor, Australia and Japan,” Mrs. Bush said of her friend. “This quiet, gentle woman is loved by all who know her.”
MacArthur commanded American troops in the Pacific during World War II and oversaw the occupation of Japan at the end of the war. He also was commander of U.N. forces in Korea before being relieved in 1951 by President Harry S. Truman.
The $1.1-million expansion of the MacArthur Memorial was paid for through private donations. The city-owned memorial draws 80,000 visitors a year. MacArthur’s body is entombed there.
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