HARTFORD – A former parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Joseph, the late Army Brig. Gen. John J. King, was inducted posthumously into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame by Governor M. Jodi Rell at a ceremony held on Nov. 17 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
The general was among 11 inductees in the 2009 Hall of Fame class. Governor Rell created the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame in 2005.
General King began his career in the United States Army as a captain in the infantry from 1942-46. He saw combat in Italy, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action. A recipient of the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the Italian Military Valor Cross, he rose to become an assistant division commander with the 76th Division of United States Army Reserves.
He then became a civil engineer with management responsibility for the construction and renovation of several landmark buildings in Hartford, including the Cathedral of St. Joseph and the Phoenix Insurance "Boat" Building. He was corporate vice president of the George A. Fuller Co. and Horn Construction Inc. of Hartford.
The general and his wife, Mary, were members of the Cathedral of St. Joseph Parish for more than 40 years and were active in the funeral ministry and the St. Vincent DePaul Society. He died in August 2002. Mrs. King died in January 2006.
General King was one of the main organizers of the Connecticut Armed Forces Day Parades from 1970 to 1984. He served as president emeritus of the board of trustees of St. Joseph College in West Hartford and a corporator of St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford.
He also established the 100 Club of Connecticut, dedicated to the financial support of spouses and children of first responders killed in the line of duty. He was a member of the National and Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. He served as a member of the Connecticut Department of Public Works Advisory Council and of the Retired Military Officers Association.
Those selected for the honor of induction are veterans who not only honorably served their country through military service, but also who continued to serve and inspire their fellow man with their deeds and accomplishments throughout their lifetime.
There are currently 51 members of the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame, including former President George Herbert Walker Bush, a member of its class of 2005.
