Being first in alphabetical order gave John Abraham a special distinction in the history of the Pattonville School District. Abraham became the first male to graduate from Pattonville High School. -Read-More- He was one of five to graduate in the Class of 1938 shortly after the high school opened on St. Charles Rock Road. The first graduating Class of 1937 consisted of two females (Marguerite Nunley and Irma Meuth). Pattonville High School was built in 1935 and opened in the middle of the 1935-1936 school year on an 8-acre lot at Banks and St. Charles Rock roads. Abraham returned to his alma mater - albeit a relocated one on Creve Coeur Mill Road - on Nov. 11 as Pattonville High School observed Veterans’ Day with a breakfast and special ceremonies. During the ceremonies, he was recognized as being the newest addition to Pattonville’s Wall of Fame. Abraham is a D-Day veteran who lead his men ashore as an Army lieutenant during World War II.  Later, he received the Bronze Star for his efforts to save wounded men.  He also received a Purple Heart for being wounded while fighting along the Siegfried Line.  He served  in the Army from 1941 to 1945 and said he is “happy for the time I was able to serve my country.” A history of his life and service to the nation is found in a book created by his family and located in the Pattonville High School library. Abraham has been a life-long resident of the Pattonville area, and his children and grandchildren are Pattonville graduates. He lives in Bridgeton, just down the street from the high school’s original location. Abraham’s wife, Ruth (nee Mensendiek), was the only female in his graduating class, and “I was the one that got her,” he likes to say.  Ruth, who passed away a few years ago, was the woman who picked “Green and White” as the Pattonville colors, a legacy that still lives on today in the Pirate Nation. Read a story in the Suburban Journal on John Abraham. Students who helped with the Pattonville High School Veterans’ Day ceremonies are shown with John Abraham (and teacher Don Schulte, far left). Pattonville High School’s Class of 1938, the second graduating class, consisted of, from left, Earl Payton, John Abraham, Ruth Mensendiek, James Peachee and Anton Weber. -End-