Professor Ralph Martin Cloud (Captain, USA Army, Ret.), died peacefully on July 21, 2015 in Madison, Alabama. He was 92. C a p t a i n Cloud was born November 19, 1922, in Ft. Eustis, Virginia, to Albert and Carrie Cloud. He is of four generations in the military, with service lineage back to the American Revolution. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp at Langley Field, Hampton, Virginia, and attended West Point. During World War II he was a Commissioned Army Officer, and served in the occupation army in Germany. He also served in the Korean War, where he lost his right leg as the result of a mortar explosion. After recovery he was assigned to Ft. Monroe, Virginia, and later Germany. He was the first amputee to ever complete the Advanced Officer’s Course, in Ft. Benning, Virginia. He retired on disability in 1958 after 17 years of service. He met his wife of 68 years, Gisela (née Dusik) in Auerbach (Bavaria), where she served as an interpreter for the US Army. Captain Cloud received his BBA, MBA and Ph.D. in the fields of Accounting, Economics and Management. Besides Phi Kappa Phi honors, he earned four National Honor Society Keys in his fields. Both Gisela and he taught Business Administration at the University of Georgia, the University of Alabama, and Alabama A & M. Named Outstanding Professor by students at UAH, Dr. Cloud was invited to London and the NancyUniversité in France to lecture. After retirement from teaching in 1982, the Clouds spent almost 20 years traveling in Europe. Despite his infirmity, he exercised regularly by swimming, and maintained a cheerful, caring and positive attitude throughout his life. Captain Cloud is survived by: his wife Gisela; daughters: Carmen Puckett and Christine Stevens of Arizona, and Charlotte Cloud of Huntsville; granddaughter: Barrie Puckett of California; grandson: Alexander Stevens of Florida; granddaughters: Cora Foster and Caroline Cloud of Huntsville; great-grandson: Rhys Stevens and great-granddaughter: Breanne Stevens of Florida; great-granddaughters: Charlotte and Olivia Foster, born only weeks before Captain Cloud’s passing and devoted members of spousal families. An internment service with full military honors will be held for Captain Cloud at Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, Alabama at a later date. Berryhill Funeral Home is assisting the family.
