MSS 844 Herbert B. Eagon Papers

              OHIO
H I S T O R Y
MSS 844
Herbert B. Eagon Papers
1 cubic f o o t
S t a n d a r d i n v e n t o r y
Coll e c t i on Synopsis
Provenance: The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l Society acquired the Herbert B .
Eagon Papers as a g i f t of Herbert B . Eagon of Delaware, Ohio, in
September 1984. Peter Lundskow processed the c o l l e c t i o n in
November 1984.
P r o p e r t y r i g h t s : The Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y owns the property
r i g h t s t o t h i s c o l l e c t i o n .
Copyrights: Herbert B. Eagon has d e d i c a t e d such c o p y r i g h t s as he
p o s s e s s e s in t h i s c o l l e c t i o n t o the p u b l i c . C o n s i d e r a t i o n of a l l
o t h e r c o p y r i g h t s i s t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of t h e a u t h o r and p u b l i s h e r .
Access: This c o l l e c t i o n i s open under the r u l e s and r e g u l a t i o n s
of t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y .
C i t a t i o n : Researchers a r e r e q u e s t e d t o c i t e c o l l e c t i o n name,
c o l l e c t i o n number, and t h e Ohio H i s t o r i c a l S o c i e t y i n a l l f o o t n o t e
and b i b l i o g r a p h i c r e f e r e n c e s .
Biographical s k e t c h : Herbert B . Eagon was born i n Quaker C i t y ,
Ohio, on J u l y 13, 1908. Eagon graduated from high school in 1925
and moved to Akron, Ohio, where he worked a t a s e r i e s of jobs:
rubberworker, b r i c k l a y e r , dry c l , e a n e r , and claims i n v e s t i g a t o r and
a d j u s t o r until 1940. In 1927 Eagon joined t h e Ohio National Guard
and was commissioned an o f f i c e r in 1930. I n 1940 he went i n t o
a c t i v e s e r v i c e a s an i n t e l l i g e n c e o f f i c e r in t h e South P a c i f i c f o r
t h e d u r a t i o n of World War 11. A f t e r r e t u r n i n g t o t h e United
S t a t e s , Eagon purchased a farm i n Delaware County, Ohio, and
became involved in both s t a t e and n a t i o n a l s o i l and w a t e r c o n s e r -
v a t i o n groups. He was r e a c t i v a t e d f o r s e r v i c e i n t h e Korean
c o n f l i c t during which he headed o p e r a t i o n s and t r a i n i n g f o r the
145th I n f a n t r y Division.
~ a > o n r e t u r n e d t o h i s farm in 1953 and in 1956 became involved in
the candidacy of C . William O ' N e i l l f o r governor. With O ' N e i l l ' s
e l e c t i o n i t was s p e c u l a t e d t h a t Eagon would be named to lead the
Ohio National Guard but i n s t e a d t h e governor a p p o i n t e d h i m to the
d i r e c t o r s h i p of the Department of Natural Resources. He served
in t h i s p o s i t i o n through 1963, under both Governors O ' N e i l l and
Michael V . D i S a l l e . Until 1972 Eagon was Water Resources Agencies
C o o r d i n a t o r f o r the Ohio River D i v i s i o n , U. S. Army Corps of
E n g i n e e r s .
During t h i s period Eagon a l s o remained involved i n t h e National
Guard. In 1967 he r e t i r e d as A s s i s t a n t D i v i s i o n Commander of the
37th I n f a n t r y Division a t t h e rank of B r i g a d i e r G e n e r a l .
Since h i s r e t i r e m e n t Eagon has continued to work h i s farm and be
involved in water and s o i l c o n s e r v a t i o n i s s u e s . Some of the awards
bestowed on Eagon a r e : t h e D i s t i n g u i s h e d C i v i l i a n S e r v i c e Award,
OBI0 EISTORiCAL SOCIETY
1982 Velma Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43211- 2497 ph: 614.297.2300 fx: 614.2' 372411
www. ohiohistory. org