May 20 is the anniversary of the 1908 birthday of legendary Oscar-winning actor James Stewart. During the heyday of his career, Stewart reached the height of fame and celebrity honors. And during WWII, he received high military awards. But the actor most revered for his starring role in It's a Wonderful Life wanted his legacy to be more about his guiding life principles and his love for family, country, community, and God than about Hollywood plaudits.
James "Jimmy" Stewart grew up in Indiana, Penn., and he always treasured his hometown memories and the lessons his parents taught him. "My parents did their best to teach me faith in God, to shun pomposity and glibness, to be modest, because a decent, gentlemanly man is modest," he said, according to Movieguide. The actor said during his last visit to Indiana in 1983, "This is where I sort of made up my mind about certain things. About hard work being worth it, about community spirit, about the importance of family, about the importance of God and the church." He was especially nostalgic about his father Alex Stewart's hardware store, which wasn't just a place for people to make purchases but for the community to gather and chat. When he played George Bailey on screen, Jimmy Stewart was drawing on his own personal experience.
Stewart felt his parents had truly informed and shaped his character. "I came from a very disciplined household,” Stewart said, according to Movieguide. “My mother stopped Dad from being — well, over-boisterous. She was the only person he would listen to about anything. He would raise his voice about pretty nearly anything — but never to her." It was the principled worldview his parents taught him that was the legacy he wanted in turn to pass on to a new generation. "I want to be remembered as someone who believed in hard work and love of country, love of family and love of community," Stewart said.
Indeed, Stewart was a devoted husband and father. He raised his wife Gloria's children from her previous marriage and they had twins together also. "Dad as a father was great, because he never lectured us on how to be good.…He taught us by the way he lived. And he never brought his work home. He came through the door and Hollywood stayed out," his daughter Kelly enthused. Jimmy's stepson Ron following his step-father into the military and died fighting in the Vietnam War. Jimmy mourned Ron always, but was proud of his brave death. As Jimmy's father had guided him, so he guided his own children.Related: A Star on the Fairway: Bing Crosby’s Son Recalled Golfing and Bonding With His Dad
Stewart's father also helped Jimmy make it through the traumatic combat of World War II. During WWII, after first serving as a flying instructor in the Army Air Corps, Stewart requested to be sent into active combat overseas. Before he left, his father gave him a copy of Psalm 90/91 and a note saying, "Jim, I’m banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st Psalm. The thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise of these words. I am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure that God will lead you through this mad experience. God bless you and keep you. I love you more than I can tell you." Jimmy Stewart credited Psalm 91 with inspiring him throughout his military service and a verse from the Psalm is on his gravestone.Stewart was an able and conscientious officer in the 445th Bombardment Group, as he led his men into aerial combat against the Nazis. The Epoch Times explains how Stewart won the first Distinguished Flying Cross:
During one mission over Ludwigshafen, his 445th group was following the 389th bomber group away from their target at Ludwigshafen when Stewart realized that they were 30 degrees off course. He contacted the leader, who contended that Stewart was wrong. Despite the other man’s mistake, Stewart stuck with the 389th, knowing that this course of action could lead to his death and the death of his men, yet also knowing that the 389th would need their help.
Near Paris, some 60 Luftwaffe fighters appeared and swarmed around them, firing away. The 389th’s lead pilot was shot down, and 16 other B-24s fell that day as well. None of Stewart’s aircraft were lost in this horrific battle, and his courage in sticking with the 389th saved some of them as well.
Stewart stayed in the military reserves for years after WWII, and over the course of his career won the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and even the French Croix De Guerre.
And whether filming an unforgettable acting performance, heroically leading his fellow airmen into combat, teaching his children, or sitting in the hardware store with his dad, Jimmy Stewart always practiced what he preached.
