W.H. Saussy University Honors Program Scholarship

This scholarship was established in 1998 by Mr. W.H. Saussy, Jr. in honor of his father, W.H. Saussy, SR. Saussy, Sr. was born in 1911 in Savannah, Georgia and went through the Savannah Public School System. Upon graduating from Savannah High School in 1928, he was offered appointments to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut by Congressman Edwards and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He declined and decided to work with the Mexican Petroleum Corporation of Georgia in 1929. In 1932, Saussy, Sr. married Estella Peeples and they had four children over a span of nearly twenty years. Eventually, Saussy, Sr. joined the Georgia National Guard and was summoned to active duty in 1940. He was appointed Captain, Field Artillery with the 30th Infantry Division and was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. In 1941, he attended the Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Saussy, Sr. was then ordered the London, England as a member of the cadre to organize Headquarters of the European Theater of Operations. He was among the first American troops to arrive in England in April of 1942. Later, he arrived at Belfast, Northern Ireland where he was assigned to the Combat Intelligence Branch as Captain. General Eisenhower arrived to assume command months later. W.H.’s initial duty was as head of the Fixed Installations and Terrain Section of the Combat Branch which covered the entire coast of Western Europe from Holland to the Spanish Frontier. He was later reassigned to the head of the German Order of Battle Section. In 1943, he was promoted to Major. He then went to North Africa to carry intelligence which had been prepared in London for the Allied Landings in Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. He returned to London in 1943 where he was indoctrinated into the British controlled Ultra Secret, being on the first and few Americans ever permitted to work with this secret source of intelligence. During his time of service, Saussy, Sr. served under General Eisenhower, General Andrews, and General Devers. By 1944, he was promoted to Lt. Colonel and in 1951, he was promoted to Colonel and assigned Chief of Staff Headquarters 48th Infantry Division. In 1953, he was recalled to active duty with the Department of the Army Intelligence Section at the Pentagon. He was released from active duty when he accepted a position with the Trust Department of the Savannah Bank and Trust Company. Upon his retirement, he was ranked Brigadier General in the Georgia National Guard.
In 1955, Saussy, Sr. was elected Vice President and Trust Officer of the Savannah Bank and Trust Company. In 1973, he was elected President and he retired in 1976. He remained on the Board of Directors as Chairman of the Executive Committee until 1981. During his life, Saussy, Sr. served as Commander of the Military Order of the World Wars, Governor of the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Georgia, President of the St. Andrew’s Society, President of the Savannah Benevolent Association, President of the Georgia Salzburger Society, President of the Bluffton Historical Preservation Society, Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, Curator of the Georgia Historical Society, Board of Directors of the Solomon Drug Company, Board of Directors of the Yellow Cab Company, Board of Directors of the Savannah District Authority, Senior Warden of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Senior Warden of the St. John’s Episcopal Church, Member of the Chathan Artillery Corporation, Member of the Savannah Golf Club, Member of the Oglethorpe Club, Member of the Scottish Rite, and Member of the Solomon’s Lodge No. 1 F&AM. During his military service he was awarded The Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, French Croix de Guerre, European Medal with 5 Campaign Stars, World War II Victory Medal, American Defense Medal, and Korean War Medal.