Jesse Lyle Rollins

Jesse Lyle Rollins. Image Source: "Those Killed In The Services." Tecoan 1945. UA50-01. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

Jesse Lyle Rollins was born on September 29, 1921, to Jesse Linwood (1889-1972) and Susie Kate Rollins (1893-1978) of Winterville, N.C. After graduating from Winterville High School, Rollins studied at ECTC and Kings Business College in Raleigh.

He registered for the draft on February 16, 1942, and was inducted on October 9, 1942, at Fort Bragg, N.C. He was sent to the European theatre in October 1944. While in the Army, Rollins rose to the rank of private first class in the 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Division. On December 3, 1944, he was reported missing in action in Germany. The War Department later concluded that Rollins had been killed in action on that day. He was among the last of the six ECTC alumni lost in service in 1944.

Rollins was buried in Winterville Cemetery. On May 17, 1945, ECTC held a memorial service for those who gave their lives “recently” in the war. Acting President Howard J. McGinnis read a scripture and spoke briefly in tribute. Ten different students spoke of the “college life and achievements” of the ten alumni honored. Included in those remembered was Jesse L. Rollins.

Sources:

• “Casualty List.” News and Observer. March 4. 1945. P. 22.
• “ECTC Pays Honor To Its War Dead: Memorial Service Held at Greenville for Alumni Killed in Present War.” News and Observer. May 18, 1945. P. 10.
• Goggin, Jean. “With The Armed Forces.” Teco Echo. January 20, 1945. P. 2. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37947
• “Killed In Action.” News and Observer. January 21, 1945. P. 8.
• “N. C. War Casualties.” Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.). March 1, 1945. P. 15.
• “Winterville Soldier Missing In Germany.” News and Observer. January 5, 1945. P. 5.

Related Materials

Jesse Lyle Rollins. Image Source: Tecoan 1941. UA50-01. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

Jesse Lyle Rollins’s Draft Registration Card. Image Source: U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947. Ancestry.com

Image Source: U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970.

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