US Army General. A decorated helicopter pilot and infantryman who fought in two wars, he shall be remembered for having been Superintendent of West Point during a turbulent time in the school's history. Raised in southern Mississippi, he was an Eagle Scout and chose to attend West Point despite his desire to fight in World War II. Commissioned in 1948, he was wounded and twice promoted in Korea, earning two Silver Stars; after the conflict, Berry received a master's degree from Columbia University, served as a history instructor at West Point from 1953 to 1956, and during the 1960s was a military aide to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The first member of his Academy class to wear general's stars, he served two tours in Viet Nam, on one occasion, despite his status as a general officer, flying a mission to rescue trapped soldiers. General Berry was Commanding General of the 101st Airborne at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky when he was named the 50th Superintendent of West Point, thereby assuming a post previously held by Generals Robert E. Lee, PGT Beauregard, and Douglas MacArthur, in 1974. During his time, he faced two major problems; a 1976 cheating scandal led to the expulsion of about 150 cadets, though it did result in a major revision of the school's Honor Code and end with the eventual readmission of most of the banned students. Also in 1976, West Point received the first female cadets, a move which made many 'old timers' angry and that initially caused General Berry to consider retirement, though he did make the necessary adjustments and with time came to change his views. His final posting was command of V Corps in Europe, guarding what would have been the principal Soviet invasion route. Retiring in 1980, he was Mississippi's Commissioner of Public Safety until 1984, during his term recruiting the state's first lady Highway Patrol officers, then relocated to the Philadelphia suburbs. He died in a nursing facility of heart failure and the complications of Parkinson's Disease. The General's decorations include two Army Distinguished Service Medals, four Silver Stars, four Legions of Merit, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts. Recalling a social function that took place shortly after the first female cadets arrived at West Point, he stated that he was momentarily uncomfortable when one of the girls asked him to dance but that "Knowing that I'd go down in history as the first Superintendent to dance with a plebe, I told the young lady that I be delighted".