Frank Denius and Darrell Royal

Frank Denius, one of the 10 most decorated American soldiers in World War II and a prominent University of Texas alum whose name is on the Longhorns’ football practice facility, passed away Sunday morning after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 93 years old. A memorial service for Denius will take place Tuesday at 1 pm at Westminster Presbyterian with a reception at 2:30 pm at Tarry House.

Born in Athens, Texas in 1925, Denius spent his life as a lawyer, philanthropist and war hero. He joined the Army at 17, and was part of the D-Day invasion at Normandy as well as the Battle of the Bulge, before he returned home in 1945 as one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II. For his military service, Denius was honored with four Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts and a Presidential Unit Citation.

In 2012, Denius received the highest honor any individual can receive from France — "Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur" — for his service in World War II. The French Consul General, Frederic Bontems, described the characteristics of a Chevalier as "virtue, bravery and strong commitment to liberation."

Denius detailed his journey through World War II in his 2016 autobiography, On the Way: My Life and Times.

The Longhorns’ football team practices at Frank Denius Fields. Denius almost never missed a UT football practice and attended Longhorns’ games whether they were at home or away. Former Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds once joked that Denius had been to more Longhorns’ football practices than some of the program’s coaches.

"He's been very generous, and is a wonderful man who has been a role model to me and everyone,” Dodds said of Denius.

Denius graduated from Texas in 1949 with degrees in both business and law before pursuing a very successful career as a lawyer. Denius married his wife, Charmaine Hooper, in 1949, and started his career with the Austin law firm Looney, Clark and Moorehead.

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As his legal career progressed, Denius was named the director of his uncle Wofford Cain's foundation, the Cain Foundation — a civic organization delivering scholarships and grants to several universities within the state of Texas while also funding academic medical research.

Denius also served as a director of Southern Union Company and JP Morgan Chase Bank, a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest and most profitable American banks with assets currently exceeding $2.6 trillion.

With financial help from the Cain Foundation, Denius made a generous donation to the University of Texas in order to build a new, outdoor football practice facility in 1994. The University of Texas Board of Regents named the facility Frank Denius Fields in his honor.

In 2009, Texas officially dedicated the Frank Denius Memorial Plaza located outside the northwest corner of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, which showcases a wall displaying the names of all students and faculty who lost their lives while serving during World War II. The Frank Denius Memorial Plaza also features a bronze statue that Denius commissioned and coined “The Doughboy,” which represents all American veterans who have fought for their country.

"This is a wonderful opportunity and great honor for me personally to be here," Denius said at the unveiling of The Doughboy.

"I just hope this will be forever remembered. Every generation of Americans will pay a price for their freedom — past generations and future generations. This is symbolic for everyone.”

Denius proudly served on several committees for the Texas Exes and was a past member of the Board of Directors for the University of Texas Foundation. He also served on the Longhorn Advisory Foundation and the University of Texas Development Board.