July 11, 2007

GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College Athletic Hall of Famer and retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. J. Laurence “Larry” Adkinson Jr. ’62 was recently inducted into the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association. The association, which honors the most elite of naval aviators, sports just 200 members, including former astronauts Neil Armstrong and James Lovell.

Adkinson was inducted on April 8, 2007, at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Fla.

A 1993 Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Adkinson earned seven letters as a member of the football and lacrosse teams. During his senior year, he served as team captain of the Statesmen on the gridiron and garnered AP Little All-America honorable mention and ECAC All-East honors.

A two-time All-American in lacrosse, Adkinson led the nation in scoring in 1961 with 43 goals and 29 assists. He played in the 1962 North-South Lacrosse All-Star game and finished his lacrosse career with 131 goals and 60 assists for 191 points, all Hobart career records at the time. Adkinson still ranks in the school’s top 10 in goals (9th) and points (10th).

A member of Hobart’s Chimera Society, Adkinson earned a bachelor’s degree in American history.

Following graduation, Adkinson went on to a distinguished military career, including service during the Vietnam War where he flew 681 combat missions. He was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross (the nation’s oldest military aviation award), two single mission air medals, 44 strike/flight air medals, and the Navy commendation medal with combat V.

Adkinson retired from the Marines in 1988. A native of Geneva, he currently lives in Woodbridge, Va., and is a private contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Founded in 1956, the Early and Pioneer Naval Aviators Association, better known as “The Golden Eagles,” functions as a living memorial to those early naval aviators who pioneered and provided the leadership for the development of the U.S. military's aviation force.

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