Individual Details

Howard was born and raised in Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He attended religious school at the Temple on the Heights (Jewish), Mayfield Road, in Cleveland Heights, and public school at Cleveland Heights High School where he played in the band, was on the football team, and graduated in 1933. He entered the Adelbert College of Western Reserve University and graduated cum laude with an AB degree on 10 June 1936. He went to medical school there and graduated 14 June 1939 at age 23. His wife remembered he financed his education with scholarships and part-time jobs, working at one point in a shoe store. His brother helped him also. He once said, "I was supported by my younger brother." At that time, the university would allow students partial payment of tuition at the beginning of the term and the rest could be paid later. He received his medical license on 18 July 1939. He was an intern at the Syracuse University College of Medicine, Syracuse, NY, from 1July 1939 to 1 July 1941 and is on the 1940 census in Syracuse. Then he went to the William Seymour Hospital in Eloise, Michigan, near Detroit, and served a 1-year pathology residency until 30 June 1942. By then World War II had started. Howard had registered with Selective Service but they were reluctant to take him because of back problems. He persisted and they gave him "limited service" after he signed a release form. He entered active duty 1 June 1942 as a first lieutenant. Basic training was at Scott Field, IL, 2 July until 1 August. His first assignment was with the Army Air Force Transportation Department, Buick Motor Division, in Flint, Michigan. He was there 1 year. On 11 July 1943, he was assigned to the Air Force's School of Aviation Medicine at Randolph Field, TX. He also spent 6 weeks at the School of Aviation Medicine in Nashville, TN. Army records state he was assigned to Stout Field, IN, from Oct. 2 to 30, 1943. After that, he went to the School of Air Evacuation at Bowman Field, KY, where he remained until 1 Jan 1944. On Jan 8, he was promoted to Captain and on duty with the 805th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron at Bowman Field. Army record states, "Feb. 9, 1944, until March 31, 1944 assigned shipment 690k Camp Stoneman California" and "left US 19 Feb. 1944, destination A-P (Area Pacific), arrived 13 March 1944." From July to October, he was in Hollandia, capitol of Netherlands New Guinea. He spent time at Wakde, and also at Biak, one of the Schouten Islands off the NG coast. In November, he was in Sydney, Australia, on leave, and went to the Philippines spending Nov. 10-19 in Leyte, Dec '44 to Jan '45 in Mindoro, and back to Leyte in May, as part of the 820th Medical Air Evacuation Squadron. In June 1945, he boarded a ship and sailed to Okinawa, arriving on July 5. His unit followed just behind the front lines and the wounded were flown back to mobile hospitals. The Japanese surrendered in August and Howard was photographed in Tokyo in October. He was part of the 54th Troup Carrier Wing headquartered at Tachikawa Army Air Base, Honshu, Japan. Howard was able to visit the surrounding areas on leave and went to Peking (Beijing) and Tientsin, China, Hokkaido Japan, Vladivostok, Russia, and Seoul, South Korea. He made photographs and labeled each one. He was in Tokyo on 1 Jan 1946 and spent some time in Manila in Feb. He was granted emergency leave on Mar 4 after it was discovered his mother was dying. The Army flew him home and he arrived in Detroit 3 days later. He was granted "terminal leave" until 13 July 1946 at which time he was granted an honorable discharge at the Separation Center, Fort Sheridan, IL. During his tour, he earned the Air Medal, American Theatre Ribbon, Bonze Battle Stars, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, four Overseas Service Bars, and the Victory Medal.
After Sadie's death, he went to work at the VA Hospital in Dearborn, Michigan. On Aug 1, 1946, a friend of his introduced him to Lillian. They were married 1 July 1947 in Detroit. They honeymooned in Quebec. Howard had entered the Michigan Air National Guard on 15 Jan 1947 and was a major in the Medical Corps. He was honorably discharged 10 Aug 1948. In October, he entered a general surgical residency and finished it on 30 Sep 1949. He remained at the hospital as a clinical instructor for Wayne State Medical School. Howard received a medical license from North Carolina on 23 Jan 1950 and they moved to Greenville in July. Howard went into private practice, had an office on Third Street, and worked at the hospital on First Street. At first, they lived in an apartment on Summit Street, but in 1951 build a house at 204 South Elm Street. David had been born in Detroit, William (Bill) and Barden (Bardy) were born in Greenville while they lived on Elm Street. Howard was very active in the community. He became a 32nd degree Mason on 14 Apr 1955, joined the Kiwanis club in 1950, became a member of the Moose Lodge serving as Governor of the Greenville Lodge 1956-57. He organized the first Red Cross Blood Bank in Pitt County and the first rescue squad. He was chairman of the March of Dimes campaign in 1956, president of the Pitt County unit of the American Cancer Society 1961-62. The hospital moved from downtown to a new building on the north side of Greenville in 1951 and Howard had a new office built just a few yards away on 6th Street. In Nov 1959, the family moved to a larger house at 2003 Forest Hill Drive. Howard was team physician for the East Carolina University football team from 1963 to 1969 and chief of staff at the hospital from Jan 1969 to Dec 1970. He was chairman of the Greenville Utilities Commission 1974-75, having been a member since Mar 1969. He received a Kiwanis International Distinguished Service Award for 1973-74 and a Legion of Honor Award in 1975. He retired from private practice in July 1976 and became Director of Emergency Services at the hospital. He started the emergency program at the new Pitt County Memorial Hospital which opened in 1977 and helped design the emergency room. Howard had done work for the NC Dept. of Human Resources for years on the subject of drunk drivers. For this work, he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor a state citizen can receive, and is given for "outstanding service." On May 21, 1979, Howard was at his summer cottage on the Pamlico River at Core Point, NC. He began coughing and told Lillian to call an ambulance. He died within minutes from heart failure at age 63. The Pitt County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and Medical Society adopted a Resolution of Appreciation in his memory. They cited his many contributions to the hospital, that "he gave of his time and energy unselfishly to provide attention where needed," and characterized him as having a "quiet and unaffected manner" and that "his friendliness and sincerity endeared him to those who came into contact with him," and stated his "approach to the practice of surgery characterized the full and true meaning of his creed." On Nov 18, 1980, the Gradis Educational Unit was dedicated in his memory in the surgical area of the hospital. It contained a library to support surgical education and staff development.

Birth	28 Mar 1916	Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
Residence	1920	Parkgate, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
Residence	1930	Beechwood Avenue, Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
Education	1931 - 1932	Age: Abt 16 - Cleveland Heights High School, Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
Education	1934	Age: 20 - Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
Residence	1935	Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States
Military	Abt 1940	WWII Draft - Syracuse, Onondaga, New York, United States
Residence	1940	1940 Census - Syracuse, Onondaga, New York, United States
Occupation	Ca 1940	Doctor, surgeon
Marriage	1 Jul 1947	Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States - Lilian Williams
Residence	1950	Steel, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States
Death	21 May 1979	Age: 63 - Beaufort; Core Point, Greenville, Pitt, North Carolina, United States
Burial	23 May 1979	Pinewood Memorial Park, Greenville, Pitt, North Carolina, United States

Spouse	Lilian Williams (1915 - 1999)
Child	David Loren Gradis
Child	William Howard Gradis
Child	Barden Elliott Gradis

Father	Abraham "Abe" Gradis (1884 - 1930)
Mother	Sarah Miriam "Sadie" Turkel (1888 - 1946)
Sibling	Ernest Irving Gradis (1917 - 2000)
Sibling	Nina Ethel Gradis (1920 - 2008)

Notes