Cleveland Valrey (1930-2023): Highly Decorated and Groundbreaking War Hero

Cleveland Valrey (Photo right, East Bay Times)

Mausoleum Sec. 80, Tier 4

Cleveland Valrey’s military career spanned more than three decades and two major wars, marking him as one of the most accomplished and groundbreaking soldiers of his generation. 

Born with a determination to serve, Valrey enlisted in the Army Air Forces as a teenager before joining the U.S. Army in 1949. Early in his career, he became part of a historic unit: the first all-Black, 2nd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne), which fought with distinction during the Korean War. On May 20, 1951, Valrey was wounded during heavy fighting on Hill 581, a testament to his bravery under fire. After recovering in Japan, he rejoined his unit and returned to combat.

Valrey’s career later took flight when he transitioned into Army aviation. Over the years, he logged more than 10,500 flight hours, including 2,100 hours in combat and 4,200 hours as an instructor pilot and instrument examiner. His skill carried him through multiple aircraft, from helicopters like the H-21 and H-34 to fixed-wing planes. He served with Special Forces in the Dominican Republic, flew command missions in Vietnam, and supported units across Southeast Asia at the height of the war.

His decorations reflect the breadth of his service: the Purple Heart, Bronze Star with Valor, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, 50 Air Medals (one with Valor), and countless campaign stars. These honors underscore a career spent not only in combat but also in leadership, mentorship, and innovation within the Army’s aviation branch.

For his extraordinary contributions, Cleveland Valrey earned induction into two of the Army’s most prestigious circles of honor. He was welcomed into the Ranger Hall of Fame, recognizing his ground-combat heroism and trailblazing role with the 2nd Ranger Company. Later, his pioneering achievements in flight and training secured his place in the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001.

These honors carry added weight because African American soldiers remain severely underrepresented in both halls. Despite the 2nd Ranger Company’s historic role in Korea and the long service of Black aviators, only a handful have ever been recognized at this level. Valrey’s dual induction is therefore not only a personal triumph but also a milestone in the ongoing effort to honor the contributions of Black soldiers who often served in the shadows of history.

Cleveland Valrey stands as a rare figure who excelled both as an elite ground soldier and as a master aviator, breaking barriers in two of the Army’s most demanding professions. His story, spotlighted on PBS’s National Memorial Day Concert in 2021, ensures that future generations will remember him not just as a soldier, but as a trailblazer whose service bridged eras, branches, and battlefields.

Sources: Warrant Officer History, Veteran Affairs News, Fort Benning, YouTube, Wikipedia, East Bay Times
 

Hubert Augustus Caldwell (1907–1972): Hall of Fame Olympic Rowing Gold Medalist

Hubert Caldwell and his Family Crypt

Main Mausoleum Section 8, M8J 

Oakland-born Hubert Caldwell was an American rower and Olympic champion who rose to prominence as a member of the University of California, Berkeley crew team during the late 1920s. University and Collegiate Rowing 

Caldwell was part of the University of California, Berkeley Class of 1929 and a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. As an oarsman on Cal’s varsity crew, he competed under the legendary coach Ky Ebright, whose program established the Golden Bears as one of the leading rowing powers in the United States. 

In 1928, Caldwell helped lead the California crew to victory in the national championship, cementing their place as the premier collegiate team in the country. That triumph secured their selection to represent the United States at the Olympic Games. 1928 Amsterdam Olympics 

1928 US Men's Rowing Team (NY Times)

At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Caldwell rowed in the men’s eight as part of the California crew representing the United States. The team won the gold medal, a victory that underscored the dominance of American collegiate crews on the international stage. That same year, they also claimed the U.S. National Championship title. 

His contributions to the sport of rowing were honored with induction into the Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame, recognizing his place among the great American oarsmen. The Foundation was created in Los Angeles in 1936 to celebrate and promote amateur athletics and sportsmanship across the United States.

Following his athletic achievements, Caldwell built a professional career with the United States Steel Company, where he worked for 22 years. 

Sources: New York Times, Oakland Tribune, Find a Grave,  

Monte Upshaw (1936–2017): Legendary Cal Bears track star

 

Long Jumper Monte Upshaw

Plot 71

Monte Upshaw’s name became synonymous with track and field excellence from his early days at Piedmont High School through his record-setting career at the University of California, Berkeley. A prodigious talent, he burst onto the national scene in 1954 when, as a high school senior, he broke Jesse Owens’ national prep long jump record with a leap of 25 feet, 4¼ inches—a mark that stood as a high school milestone for years. He was twice named Northern California Prep Athlete of the Year and served as student body president before graduating in 1954.

Grave marker of Monte Upshaw

At Cal, competing under legendary coach Brutus Hamilton, Upshaw quickly established himself as one of the Golden Bears’ brightest stars. As a freshman in 1955, he set the Cal frosh records in the long jump (24’6”) and the 220-yard hurdles (23.8), and joined teammates Leamon King, John Merchant, and Don Bowden to set a national collegiate freshman sprint relay record of 3:20.9. Although a knee injury curtailed his long jump career, Upshaw went on to excel in sprints, hurdles, and relays. In 1958, as a senior, he teamed with Jack Yerman, Willie White, and Bowden to set a world record in the sprint medley relay with a time of 3:18.8.

Beyond his athletic feats, Upshaw embodied the spirit of Cal athletics. He was enshrined in the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007, and the "Upshaw Family Long Jump" at the annual Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Edwards Stadium honors his family’s multi-generational contributions to Golden Bear track & field. His daughter, Grace Upshaw, became a three-time U.S. champion, two-time Olympian in the long jump, and a Cal Hall of Fame inductee in 2014. Daughter Joy Upshaw served as an assistant coach for the Bears, while granddaughters Sunny and Windy continued the family legacy as Cal student-athletes.

Monte Upshaw running track

A lifelong supporter of Cal, Upshaw founded and chaired the Friends of Cal Track & Field organization and served as president of the Big C Society. His teammates and friends remembered him as much for his generosity and character as for his world-class performances. Don Bowden, the first American to break the four-minute mile, recalled: “Monte will always have a special place in our tower of memories. Although his athletic accomplishments were numerous and world-class, he will also be remembered as a great human being, a teammate always there for you, and a friend for life.”

Monte Upshaw passed away on July 26, 2017, at the age of 81 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. 

Sources: Univ of CA/Berkeley Sports Hall of Fame, SFGate, East Bay Times, Find a Grave 

Charitie Bancroft deCheney (1841-1923): Irish-American Hymn Writer

Charitie Bancroft and her most famous hymn

Plot 52B, Lot 119

Charitie Lees Smith—better known in hymnals as the author of Before the Throne of God Above—was born in Dublin, Ireland on 21 June 1841, the daughter of Reverend George Sidney Smith and Charlotte Lees. Her father served in several Church of Ireland parishes and as a canon of Derry Cathedral, while also holding a professorship at Trinity College Dublin.

From a young age Charitie displayed a gift for religious verse, and her hymns were soon published in leading collections across the British Isles. Her most enduring contribution is the hymn Before the Throne of God Above (originally titled The Advocate, 1863), which remains widely sung today. In 1867 she published a collection of poetry, Within the Veil and Other Sacred Poems.

The group Selah, a renowned contemporary Christian vocal trio from Nashville, released their version of “Before the Throne of God Above” on their album Hiding Place on May 25, 2004. This hymn features lyrics written by Bancroft, but with a modern melody composed by Vikki Cook—a setting that has gained widespread popularity in contemporary worship.

In 1869, Charitie married Arthur E. Bancroft, a naval officer from Liverpool, at St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Edinburgh. The marriage lasted until Arthur’s death in 1881, leaving her widowed at forty. 

A decade later, Charitie remarried in San Francisco on 1 June 1891, taking as her husband Frank de Cheney (also spelled De Chenez), a man thirty years her junior. Their unusual age gap attracted notice, and Frank would later describe the marriage as a “sympathy affair”—claiming that he had been recovering from illness and that Charitie’s kindness during that period led him to wed her.

The marriage proved stormy. According to Frank, Charitie urged him to abandon San Francisco for Moss Beach, hoping to keep him “away from the temptations of a large city.” When he refused, he said, she left him in 1901 for Southern California. By 1912 he had filed for divorce in San Francisco, and by 1915 the case had reached Reno’s district courts. The Reno Gazette-Journal covered the matter with sensational flair, noting her reputation as a “social queen in her younger days” and reveling in gossip about her age difference with Frank, who was known as a gambler and mining speculator in Nevada.

On 28 May 1915, Judge R. C. Stoddard granted Frank’s divorce petition on grounds of desertion. Charitie did not contest the suit and told him there was “no possibility of reconciliation.” Within a month Frank married his third wife, Iris Irene Pawinker, while Charitie returned quietly to her religious and charitable work.

Settling in Oakland, California, Charitie involved herself in prison reform and transitional housing for former inmates. Despite the turbulence of her personal life, she remained committed to ministry and poetry.

She died in Oakland on 20 June 1923, just one day shy of her 82nd birthday. She was by then known as Charitie de Cheney, but her reputation rests on the hymns she composed as Charitie Lees Smith Bancroft—a body of work that continues to inspire Christian worship nearly two centuries later.

Arthur White Greeley (1875–1904): Ichthyologist who died tragically young

Arthur Greeley and a pufferfish named in his honor

Plot 43, Lot 53

Arthur White Greeley, born June 13, 1875, in Oswego, New York, emerged as a promising American physiologist and ichthyologist whose career, though short, left a lasting mark on early marine biology and zoology.

Greeley was the eldest son of Frank Norton Greeley, a Congregational clergyman, and Anna Cheney (Buckhout) Greeley. His younger brother, William, later became Chief Forester of the U.S. Forest Service. 

He graduated from Stanford University in 1898, where he quickly distinguished himself in zoological studies. Pursuing graduate research, he joined two notable expeditions: a fur-seal expedition to Alaska and the Banner‑Agassiz expedition to Brazil, during which he collected a variety of important biological specimens.

Greeley taught briefly at the San Diego Normal School (now San Diego State University) before entering the University of Chicago as a physiology fellow. Under the mentorship of Jacques Loeb, he earned his Ph.D. with a doctoral thesis on the effects of low temperatures on microorganisms. He was then appointed Assistant Professor of Zoology at Washington University in St. Louis.

Grave and Sea Slug named in his honor

During summer sessions, he contributed to the staff of the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole in Massachusetts, teaching physiology—a testament to his growing reputation in academic circles.

Greeley described several new sculpin species, including the saddleback, rosy, fluffy, and bald sculpins. His legacy endures through species named in his honor.    

Genus: Greeleya  

Species: Sphoeroides greeleyi (pufferfish), Diaulula greeleyi (sea slug), Crassispira greeleyi (sea snail)

Tragically, Greeley's promising career was cut short when he died in St. Louis on March 15,1904, at just 28 years old, following an operation for appendicitis. 

 

 

Andrew Derby Smith (1863-1915): Helped Establish California Insurance Department

Grave of Andrew D. Smith and headshot

 Plot 6

Andrew Derby Smith was a prominent figure in early 20th-century Oakland, remembered for his civic leadership, business success, and commitment to the community. Born in 1863 in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Smith moved west in his youth and eventually made Oakland his permanent home.  

Smith first established himself in the wholesale produce trade and shipping, but he became best known for his work in insurance. He rose to prominence as one of California’s leading insurance executives and advocates, working tirelessly to bring professionalism and regulation to the industry. Recognizing the need for a more accountable and transparent system, Smith played an instrumental role in shaping the creation of the California Insurance Department, which provided oversight and consumer protections in a field that had previously been loosely regulated.

As a respected leader in this emerging sector, Smith was a strong advocate for ethical standards in business, fair treatment of policyholders, and the stability of insurance companies. His work helped build public trust in insurance at a time when California was experiencing both population growth and economic expansion.

California’s insurance oversight was originally organized as the Insurance Department within state government. Its purpose was to regulate insurance companies, ensure solvency, and protect policyholders. The head of this agency became known as the Insurance Commissioner. At first, the position was appointed, but in 1988 voters passed Proposition 103, which made the Insurance Commissioner an elected statewide office beginning in 1991. 

Smith also served as president of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, where he promoted the city as a growing commercial hub on the Pacific Coast. He championed infrastructure improvements, economic development, and civic beautification projects, aligning with Oakland’s aspirations to establish itself as a modern metropolis distinct from San Francisco.

Smith was also active in fraternal and charitable organizations, including the Masons, and lent his time and resources to philanthropic causes. 

Smith married Fanny Derby, with whom he raised a family in Oakland. His sudden death on May 11, 1915, at the age of 52, was widely mourned across the city. The Oakland Tribune and other newspapers remembered him as a man of integrity, generosity, and vision. 

Source: California State Department of Insurance, Find a Grave, Oakland Tribune