A M U S E & A M A Z E

THE GRIP OF YOUR FAR OFF HOLD

A map that led us to a love story

Last week we went looking for a map of West Point. What we found was an obituary with an adorable story.

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By http://www.geographicus.com/mm5/cartographers/ [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The map above was created by a cadet. If you look closely (click images above for a larger version or check out the detailed shots below), the map is quite quirky. It is both accurate and amusing. I challenge you to spend not one minute inspecting it without so much as a smirk or a chuckle.

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MAPS DETAILS

we found this map on a site selling copies of it. That site can be found here: https://www.geographicus.com/P/AntiqueMap/Westpoint-cumberpatch-1944

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So, who created this lovely map? It was a cadet. That’s right, a cadet. The map was created in 1944 by James R. Cumberpatch, USMA class of 1944.

Drawing classes were an important part of the cadet curriculum well into the 20th-century

James, with his 473 classmates (including 20 sons of generals - e.g. John Eisenhower, son of then General Dwight D. Eisenhower) hold the dubious distinction of being part of the D-Day class, graduating on June 6th, 1944.

Can you imagine that? Graduating amidst the swirling news of the invasion on Normandy.

West Point Graduation - June 6, 1944

https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/d-day-west-point-graduation?rebelltitem=3#rebelltitem3

James retired as an Air Force COL and had an impressive military career (see the full run-down in his obituary here). James died last year, 2017, on April 28th. He is buried at West Point (PLOT - Old Cadet Chapel Columbarium 29-E-UL) and upon his death, he requested that donations, in his memory, may be made to the 'Cadet Activities Fund (DCA)' of the West Point Association of Graduates. https://www.westpointaog.org/GiftsInMemory

But lets back up to a year before James graduated from West Point. You see, as we became intrigued with this map, we decided to find out more about the map’s creator. That led to a basic internet search.

So, let’s talk about what we found about James & Eloise. It’s not a lot, but it sure is something else.

Here’s what we found:

James met and began dating Eloise in 1943. He was a West Point cadet on a flying training assignment in Texas. This was the beginning of something, dare I say, amazing.

FROM HER OBITUARY Eloise retired in 1991 from the Department of Agriculture’s Farmers Home Administration where she worked for almost 40 years as an auditor. She was a member of the New Providence Club, Navy League, New Annapolitans and Lost Patrol. She was an avid reader who also enjoyed traveling and exotic foods. Most of all, Eloise enjoyed spending time with her family.

Eloise Z. Cumberpatch, 86, a 10-year resident of Edgewater, died May 20, 2011 at the Mandrin Chesapeake Hospice House in Harwood. She was born September 29, 1924 in Brady, TX to Clint and Ola Zimmerman.

She was the wife of Colonel James “Jim” R. Cumberpatch, USAF, Retired (USMA 1944) whom she met and began dating in 1943 when he was a West Point cadet on a flying training assignment in Texas. They lost contact with each other during World War II but reconnected in 1989 after Jim hired a detective agency to find Eloise. They resumed their romance from 46 years earlier and married on October 16, 2000.

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Let’s read that again:

They lost contact with each other during World War II but reconnected in 1989 after Jim hired a detective agency to find Eloise. They resumed their romance from 46 years earlier and married on October 16, 2000.

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This is all we have been able to uncover about this true romance. Artist, romantic, WWII veteran, Korean War veteran, BAMF Air Force B-24 bomber pilot, international businessman, Founder, etc, etc. James R. Cumberpatch is a man amongst men and a warrior poet.

We would love to learn more. Maybe you can help us uncover more of this story? Click the button below to send us a note or leave a comment. Thanks! Hoe you enjoyed this little story, we sure did.

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