Agustin James Pocock (1922 - 2012)

Born 10 Nov 1922 in Shanghai, China

Ancestors

Son of Frederick Agustin Pocock and Mabel Mae (Bailey) Pocock

Husband of Margaret Theresa (Lobbin) Pocock — married 6 Jan 1956 in St. Louis, MO

Husband of Charlotte Mae (Fairchild) Pocock — married 1978 in Manhattan, New York County, New York, United States

Descendants

Died 22 Sep 2012 at age 89 in Englewood, Bergen, New Jersey, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gina Jarvi [send private message]

Biography

Corporal A. J. Pocock served in the United States Army in World War II
Service started: 31 Dec 1942
Unit(s): 787th Artillery Battalion
Service ended: 22 February 1946

Agustin James Pocock was born on November 10, 1922 in Shanghai, China to Fred A. Pocock and Mae Bailey. He was known professionally as "A.J."

His father, Fred, worked with his brother, James Joel Pocock, who was the principal CEO of J.J. Pocock, Inc. It was through this relationship that Fred went to China to introduce/sell the first (or one of the first) steam engines. Fred and Mae Bailey married in Yokahama, Japan on 12 Nov 1917. Then moved to Shanghai, China where the business took place and was completed. They lived in Shanghai for 4 years.

They returned to the US following A.J.'s birth and then moved to Chicago, Illinois. Then on to New York, and Pennsylvania, finally calling Philadelphia home.

A.J. attended Penn Charter High School, a Quaker school for boys. A.J. was their only child.

World War II Military Service

A. J. enlisted in the US Army on December 31, 1942 and served as corporal for three years. He was assigned to the Army's XIII Corps, 787th Artillery Battalion, equipped with towed 8" howitzers. They marched from Holland to the Elbe River, a 300 mile drive in 180 days. He was in charge of communications.

The 787th Artillery Battalion fought in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest ^[1]- a series of battles fought from 19 Sep 1944 - 16 Dec 1944, between American and German forces on the Western Front. It was the longest battle on German ground during World War II and is the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought.

The battalion was constituted 18 Sep 1943 in the Army of the United States and activated 6 Nov 1943 at Fort Lewis, Washington.
Two campaign credits: Rhineland & Central Europe. Returned to the United States February 1946. Honorably discharged on 22 February 1946 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.

His father passed away 4 October 1946.

Entertainment Career

His career in the entertainment industry spanned some 70 years beginning soon after his discharge as a corporal at Fort Dix. A.J. took stage roles before moving into producing. He became a prominent producer of industrial trade shows for Milliken, Buik, Hertz, Westinghouse, and the Emmy Awards.

Marriage and Children

He married Margaret T. Lobbin on the stage of the play Lunatics and Lovers, in Saint Louis, Missouri, on January 6, 1956. They moved to Rockford, IL where he became the artistic director of the Wagon Wheel Playhouse. In October of that year, their daughter Gina was born. They moved back to NYC around 1958. Their son, James, was born on April 6, 1961.

Divorce & Re-marriage

Margaret and AJ separated in 1969 and AJ remarried in 1983 to Charlotte Fairchild.

Honda

Around 1982 AJ began working with Honda as their industrial show producer. When Honda became the title sponsor of the Honda Golf Classic, AJ was appointed lead. AJ loved golf.

The Lambs Club

AJ joined The Lambs Club in 1953. He started serving on the Lambs Council in the 1960s, where he was corresponding secretary in 1969. He was elected Shepherd of the Lambs in January 1998. He served until 2001.^[2]

Service to the Industry

AJ's association with various theatrical groups resulted in years of service to the entertainment world, including as a life member of the Players Club and the Episcopal Actors Guild, and longtime Trustee of The Actors Fund of America.

Death

My dad passed away at the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, N.J. He was 90 years old. He is interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia.^{[3] [4][5]}

Sources

1. ↑ Battle of Hürtgen Forest
2. ↑ Lambs Club
3. ↑ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/hackensack-nj/agustin-pocock-5248892
4. ↑ Personal recollection of events witnessed by Gina (Pocock) Jarvi
5. ↑ https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?n=aj-pocock&pid=160111892

• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #156001088 (accessed 19 April 2024)
  Memorial page for Agustin James “AJ” Pocock (10 Nov 1922-22 Sep 2012), citing West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Pocock-248 on WikiTree.com (contributor 48770379).
• United States 1930 Federal Census. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2016. (Original index: United States Census, 1930. FamilySearch, 2014.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1668/rd/42348/56/1154426028
• 1950 Census: "1950 United States Federal Census"
  United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1745; Sheet Number: 6; Enumeration District: 51-788
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62308 #243299388 (accessed 14 June 2022)
  Agustine J Pocock (27) head of household in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Born in China.
• My father - personal knowledge
• archives from his estate;
• https://the-lambs.org/club_member/pocock-a-j/
• Fold3 memorial: https://www.fold3.com/memorial/87156959/agustin-j-pocock

DNA Confirmation

• Maternal relationship is confirmed by an autosomal 23andMe test match between Gina (Pocock) Jarvi and Margaret Carter, her 3rd cousin . Their most-recent common ancestors are Luther Skellenger and Romenta Pasco, the great great grandparents of both Gina (Pocock) Jarvi and Margaret Carter. Predicted relationship from 23andMe: 3rd cousins, based on sharing 16.7 cM cM (0.78% X-Chromosome DNA ~3.12%% DNA shared) across 4 segments.