Jeremiah "Jerry" Joseph O'Keefe, III (born July 12, 1923) is a retired WWII veteran and honored fighter pilot ace. In addition he has served his state of Mississippi as a member of the House of Representatives, the mayor of Biloxi, MS and lifelong philanthropist and contributor to his community.
Military life edit
O'Keefe enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1942-1943. Then he became a fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943-1945 serving in World War II from 1942-1945. He was a 1st Lt. with the VMF-323 Marine Squadron. He gained recognition for his contributions to an dogfight in Okinawa in which he shot down five enemy planes becoming an Ace in a single day on April 22. On this historic day O'Keefe's Major George C. Axtell also shot down five as well as damaging another three enemy planes. This dogfight was chronicled on the Dogfights (TV series). On April 28 Lt. O'Keefe shot down another two enemy planes bringing his total victories to seven which made him the highest scoring ace in Okinawa at the time. [1] [2]
Awards edit
Lt. O'Keefe received both the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service during World War II.[3] On his 90th birthday, July 12, 2013, he will receive his bronze bust in the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport honoring him as an "Ace" and member of the Death RattlersMarine Squadron.
Family life edit
Jerry O'Keefe fathered 13 children with his wife Annette Saxon O'Keefe. Their family has a fondness for Southern cooking and story-telling which inspired their publication of a family cookbook in 1994. Annette O'Keefe died in 1998. [4] Jerry O'Keefe is currently married to Martha Peterson O'Keefe.
Business life edit
Jerry O'Keefe and his family have owned O'Keefe Funeral Homes since the early 1900s. In 1957 he bought his major competitor's business creating Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes. He also created Gulf National Life which was a life insurance company. In 1996 O'Keefe won a contractual dispute trial being awarded over $500 million. He eventually received a combination of cash, stocks and a promissory note totalling nearly $115 million. [5] [6]
Political life edit
Jerry O'Keefe was elected to the Mississippi State Legislature in 1960 for one term until 1964. After serving his term in office, he spent most of his time involved in business and civic activities. He became the Mayor of Biloxi, MS for two terms from 1973 to 1981.[7]
Philanthropic life edit
Jerry O'Keefe was a major financial contributor and fundraiser for the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. [8]
He also created the O'Keefe Charitable Foundation and is active in many civic organizations. [9]
References edit
- ^ Wolf, William. Death Rattlers: Marine Squadron VMF-323 over Okinawa. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-7643-0953-6. Death Rattlers Squadron VMF-323 Over Okinawa
- ^ Hammel, Eric. Aces in Combat. Pacifica Military History. 2010. pp. 119-122. Aces in Combat
- ^ http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=8040/ “Valor awards for Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe” www.militarytimes.com. 2013.
- ^ O’Keefe, Annette. Cooking on the Coast. Wimmer. 1994. ISBN 0-9641501-0-7. p.51 and p.218. Cooking on the Coast
- ^ Harr, Jonathan. November 1999. “The Burial” The New Yorker Vol. LXXV No. 32 pp.70-95 [1]
- ^ Larson, Erik. December 1996. “Fight to the Death” Time. Vol. 148 No. 26 pp. 62-67. [2]
- ^ The Sun Herald. October 22, 2000. Wilemon, Tom. “Jerry O'Keefe: Big Man On The Coast Want To Get It Done? Call Jerry O'Keefe".
- ^ Pitt, Matt. December 2010. “Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art” South Mississippi Living. pp.58-61. [3]
- ^ The Sun Herald. October 22, 2000. Wilemon, Tom. “Jerry O'Keefe: Big Man On The Coast Want To Get It Done? Call Jerry O'Keefe".
External links edit
- Oral history interview with Jeremiah J. O’Keefe from the Mississippi Oral History Program at the University of Southern Mississippi
- "WW2 Marine Fighting Squadron 323", www.acepilots.com, 17 February 2007
- Biloxi Historical Society
- Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Homes History
- Video of O'Keefe family history
- Ocean Springs Archives