Robert Campbell Tripp

Robert Campbell Tripp Brigadier General (ret)

Oct. 19, 1911 - Dec. 2, 2014

Brigadier General (ret) Robert Campbell Tripp passed away peacefully on December 2, 2014, at home in Oakland, with his wife of 42 years, Liliane, at his side. At the time of his passing, General Tripp was 103 years old and the oldest living West Point graduate. He was born on October 19, 1911, in North Vernon, Indiana and served in the United States Army with distinction for 30 years.
General Tripp attended high school at the Boston Latin School and then graduated from West Point in June 1933 and entered the Corps of Engineers. He obtained a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from MIT in 1936. As a captain, he was an instructor of physics at West Point. He served in London in the Corps of Engineers from June 1943 until May 1944, and landed in Normandy on D+3. He served as Transportation Officer, Third Army, European Command, until 1947, and pioneered the "Red Ball Express" to move supplies to the troops. Patton's army could not have moved without General Tripp's efforts in transportation. Upon promotion to Brigadier General in July 1956, he served in the Logistics Division, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe. From 1958, he served as Commanding General, Army Terminal Command, Pacific, at Fort Mason in San Francisco, and at the Oakland Army Base until his retirement in 1963. He was twice awarded the Legion of Merit. He was given the Medal of Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honor by the French government in 2005. This is the highest honor bestowed by France and was given for his efforts during World War II.
General Tripp was first married to Effie Spencer Tripp, who passed away in 1970. General Tripp is survived by his son and daughter-in-law Robert Hagerman Tripp and Carol, and by his grandsons Charles, Donald, and Robert, and by five granddaughters Miesha, Brenna, Laura, Sarah, and Anya.
In 1972, he married Liliane Paule Savel of Paris and they have made their home in Oakland since then. General Tripp is survived by his step-grandson Mark Savel. He was preceded in death by his mother-in-law Anne Savel and his stepson Ralph Pineda-Savel. General Tripp was a member of the St. Francis Yacht Club and an ardent golfer and domino player. General Tripp and Liliane are Life Patrons of the Camp Roberts Historical Museum.
Family and friends are welcome to attend a viewing on Monday, December 8, starting at 5:30 pm, at The Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland 94611. A Rosary will follow at 7:00 pm. The following day, Tuesday, December 9, at 10 am, family and friends are invited to a Mass to be held at the Church of St. Leo the Great, 176 Ridgeway Avenue, Oakland 94611 (just off Piedmont Avenue). A military tribute will take place outside the church following the Mass. At a later date, a memorial service will be planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Camp Roberts Historical Museum, Building 114, Camp Roberts, California 93451.