Thursday, October 21, 2010


EB Hilton, born in Era, Texas February 2, 1922 to Enos Bird Spurgeon Hilton and Alice Catherine (Hancock) Hilton, passed this life on September 26, 2010 in Redding, California.


The HIlton family moved to California in the late 20's where they continued farming. EB attended local schools graduating from Van Nuys High in 1940. He enlisted in the Army in 1942 and was in the 104th Infantry Division. Prior to deployment he was sent to Princeton to study and he also taught flight mechanics, aircraft inspection and radio communications at the university.


In 1944, his division landed in France. He fought in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He was at the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Mittelbau Dora in Nordhausen, Germany. If you or a loved has served or is serving know that EB cared about all of you regardless of rank or branch of service. He never failed to make donations to numerous veteran's organizations throughout his life.


Upon returning stateside he continued his education at Berkeley and graduated from UCLA in 1948 with a degree in engineering. As the design engineer for many major California hospitals he insisted that each patient room have it's own thermostat for individual patient comfort. Discovering the source of Legionnaire's disease earned him a seat on the California Building Safety Board.


His name is on the Global Warming Petition along with more than 31,000 other scientists.


More than his accomplishments, he was a man of character and integrity. He practiced fairness without talking about it and provided equal opportunity long before the government thought of it. He felt he had a responsibility to care for and help people.


He loved fishing, flowers and football, but most of all, he loved Solange, to whom he was married for 68 years.


He was a humble man and a simple man who appreciated quality but had no pretensions.


EB was my Dad. I was blessed to be with him when he died. I will miss him everyday for the rest of my life.


He was buried with honors at Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo on October 1st. Well done, rest easy.

 
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