Temple Tutwiler II
Temple Wilson Tutwiler II (born March 22, 1923; died March 1, 1982) was a prominent civic booster in Birmingham.
Tutwiler was the son of Herbert Tutwiler and the former Mary Addison. He was the grandson of Edward M. Tutwiler, and was named for his uncle, Temple Tutwiler. When he was twelve he voyaged with his family on Cunard's RMS Samaria to tour England and France for three weeks. They returned to New York aboard the RMS Aquitania.
Tutwiler volunteered for parachute service in the U.S. Army on April 20, 1942. He trained at Fort Benning, Georgia and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant by October, assigned to the cadre team for the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant by March 1943 when he was transferred to the regimental headquarters (HQ company, 2nd Battalion). Temple's brother, Herbert Tutwiler Jr, died in a plane crash on the way home for furlough that same month.
He was wounded in action on D-Day, June 6, 1944 and evacuated from the field, but returned to duty on July 14. He was captured after a combat jump into the Netherlands on September 17, 1944 and remained prisoner until his camp was liberated in May 1945. He returned to New York in mid-June. His lost his father to coronary thrombosis in Florida that July.
Tutwiler married the former Peggy DeBardeleben on December 30, 1949, and was the father of Margaret, Temple III and Ann.
Tutwiler is remembered for his devotion to civic projects. He is largely credited with the project to create Birmingham Green on 20th Street North, sometimes called "Tutwiler Green".
Tutwiler died in March 1982 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.
External links
- Temple Tutwiler at Findagrave.com
- Temple W. Tutwiler at 508pir.org