Gaston County’s Last Man Standing Club has only one man left
At the end of World War II, President Harry Truman declared the second Sunday in August “Spirit of ’45 Day.”
The little-known holiday commemorates the end of the war and was a matter close to the hearts of many local World War II veterans, according to former Gastonia Mayor Jennie Stultz, who worked closely with the Gaston Last Man Standing Club.
Given the holiday’s significance to World War II veterans, Stultz said the group’s members’ living relatives and supporters could not think of a better day to honor the wishes of those who served.
Canadian Club Whisky
In 1994, after the last living World War I veteran of the Gaston Last Man Standing Club passed away, a group of World War II veterans came together and formed a new Last Man Standing Club.
At its peak in the early 2000s, the group had more than 200 members, Stultz said.
According to Stultz, the group members met over the years, exchanged ideas and even made a trip to Washington DC
In addition to building bonds and camaraderie, the group’s purpose also included fulfilling a common plan.
According to Mike Stewart, the son of longtime member Ray Stewart, the group owned a bottle of Canadian Club Whiskey that was allegedly kept in a vault at the former First Citizens Bank in Gastonia.
The plan was for the last living member of the group to take a shot of whiskey and pour some of it on the graves of the five members who had died shortly before him, Stewart said.
Two problems stood in the way of this plan.
First, the whiskey bottle disappeared from the safe.
Stewart said members were disappointed, but the Canadian Club was later replaced with a bottle of Defiant Whiskey and the plan worked again.
What members didn’t expect, Stewart said, was that the last survivor would probably not be in the condition to drink five glasses of whiskey and visit three different cemeteries in Gaston County.
On Sunday, August 11, Brandon Padgett, grandson of the last living club member, Henry Arrowood, traveled with Stultz, Stewart and others to the last five graves, where the group sang “God Bless America,” read descriptions of all five men, drank shots and poured liquor to grant the wishes of the “Last Man Standing” club members.
The most recently deceased men of the club were buried in Gaston Memorial Park, Hollywood Cemetery and Mount Holly City Cemetery.
These men were Joe Tedder, Milton Lafon Spencer, Frank Crisp, Ray Stewart and Bob Cloninger.
Arrowood, 101, can no longer leave his Brookdale apartment on Robinwood Road.
However, Padgett said his grandfather was proud that he implemented the club’s plan in his place.
The last survivor
According to Padgett, he was always Arrowood’s buddy.
“When I tie my shoes properly, he is proud,” he said.
Padgett described his grandfather as a humble man who focused on his family.
As a child, Padgett said, he and his brother could go to their grandparents’ house anytime and often spent time with them.
Arrowood served in the 76th Infantry Division of the Third Army, but did not speak often about the war.
When he did, Padgett said, it was often because of the camaraderie he found among other soldiers and his travels to France and beyond.
“For him, family came first,” Padgett said.
At home, Arrowood was a member of the McAdenville Wesleyan Church with his wife of over 60 years, Minnie Arrowood.
The couple had a daughter, Joyce Arrowood Padgett, two grandchildren, Brian and Brandon Padgett, and four great-grandchildren, currently ages 11 to 25.
The end and possible new beginnings
According to Padgett, being close to his grandfather gave the event special significance.
Ray Stewart, who celebrated his 100th birthday almost a year ago, passed away earlier this year in April.
Mike Stewart said it was important to his father that the memorial service take place, even though he was not the last survivor, and he was happy to comply with his wish.
Stultz has been associated with the club for decades and said it was a grim experience, having known all of the men who died between the early 2000s and today.
Padgett said that after speaking with his grandfather, the two described the event as bittersweet overall.
“It’s a bittersweet achievement because it means everyone else has passed. It’s good to be the last one standing, but at the same time others have passed to achieve this achievement, so it’s not really something you celebrate, but you’re proud to be part of the club,” he said.
According to Stultz, the future of the Gaston County Last Man Standing Club depends on whether Korean War and Vietnam War veterans decide to carry the torch and form their own Last Man Standing clubs, as the World War II veterans’ chapter is now down to the last man.
