Edgar Salo Keats (January 30, 1915 – March 2, 2019) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living graduate of

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

. Keats graduated from the USNA in 1935. Keats was a

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

. He was promoted to rear admiral shortly before his retirement in 1958. Following military service, he held civilian positions of leadership in the defense and construction sectors. Late in his life, he won

gold medals A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in the Maryland

Senior Olympics The National Senior Games (Senior Olympics) are a sports competition for senior citizens in the United States. It is conducted by the National Senior Games Association (NSGA) once every two years. Akin to the Summer Olympics, it is a multi-sport ...

. He turned 100 in January 2015. He died on March 2, 2019, at the age of 104 from complications of a fall.

References

1915 births 2019 deaths Military personnel from Chicago American centenarians Men centenarians United States Navy admirals Deaths from falls Place of death missing United States Navy personnel of World War II {{US-navy-bio-stub