CHARLES E. SIGNER, LT, USN
Charles Signer '26
Lucky Bag
From the 1926 Lucky Bag:
Charles Edward Signer
Tonica, Illinois
"Chuck" "Sig"
SIG should never play poker—for there's a characteristic mannerism manifest in his facial expression that instantly betrays amazement, registers excitement, and serves to punctuate animated conversation.
An individual of persistent effort, quiet, and unassuming—but slightly susceptible to the comfort and pleasure afforded by a good book and easy chair with the result of assuming an attitude of, never do today what can be done tomorrow, when academic annoyances present themselves. But, in this matter, his keen judgment and favorable fortune have seldom failed him. There's a conscientious push behind all of his endeavors, due to which he usually gets whatever he starts after and succeeds in coming out on top.
Sig's a basketball player of no mean ability, as is evidenced by the way he is accustomed to "pop 'em" in. Consistent hard work has won for him no little honor in this field of aerial activity.
At one time, he was a true champion of the cause of Red Mikes. But, after all, he's only human and is not immune to all the weaknesses that flesh is heir to. Hence, time saw a decline and fall, just as definite as that of Rome—that of Sig from the free and easy heights of Red Mikedom to the same level as the rest of us.
Basketball Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); N (3, 1); Numerals (2).
Charles Edward Signer
Tonica, Illinois
"Chuck" "Sig"
SIG should never play poker—for there's a characteristic mannerism manifest in his facial expression that instantly betrays amazement, registers excitement, and serves to punctuate animated conversation.
An individual of persistent effort, quiet, and unassuming—but slightly susceptible to the comfort and pleasure afforded by a good book and easy chair with the result of assuming an attitude of, never do today what can be done tomorrow, when academic annoyances present themselves. But, in this matter, his keen judgment and favorable fortune have seldom failed him. There's a conscientious push behind all of his endeavors, due to which he usually gets whatever he starts after and succeeds in coming out on top.
Sig's a basketball player of no mean ability, as is evidenced by the way he is accustomed to "pop 'em" in. Consistent hard work has won for him no little honor in this field of aerial activity.
At one time, he was a true champion of the cause of Red Mikes. But, after all, he's only human and is not immune to all the weaknesses that flesh is heir to. Hence, time saw a decline and fall, just as definite as that of Rome—that of Sig from the free and easy heights of Red Mikedom to the same level as the rest of us.
Basketball Squad (4, 3, 2, 1); N (3, 1); Numerals (2).
Loss
Charles was lost on March 30, 1938 when the patrol bomber he was aboard crashed during fleet exercises in the Pacific Ocean. He was a member of Patrol Squadron (VP) 18.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Charles entered the preparatory school at Annapolis in November 1921 for three months.
He married Barbara Isabella Edmundson on December 24, 1928, in Pensacola. Their daughter was Joanna Isabella. The family sailed to Honolulu in June, 1936.
His mother was Mary, and sister was Harriet (Mrs. Ray Davis.) His father Ira was a building contractor who died in 1926.
From Find A Grave:
Ensign C. E. Signer, USN, was designated Naval Aviator #3427 in 1929. Graduated U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1926.
Son of Ira Grant & Mary (Billings) Signer; married the former Miss Barbara Isabella Edmundson, of Pensacola, Fla., in 1928.
Lieutenant Signer was lost at sea, with his entire crew, when his patrol seaplane crashed during the 1938 annual fleet exercise held in the Pacific.
He has a memorial marker in Illinois. Charles was survived by his wife, Barbara.
The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.
The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.
The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.
October 1926
January 1927
April 1927
October 1927
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
LCDR Norman Scott '11
LCDR Albert Rooks '14
LCDR Cassin Young '16
LT John Gillon '20
LT John Burrow '21
LT Joseph Hubbard '21
LT Edwin Crouch '21
LTjg Howard Healy '22
October 1928
January 1929
April 1929
LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20
LT James Carney '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25
July 1929
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25 (USS Lexington)
ENS Hilan Ebert '26 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Potts '27 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Yoho '29 (USS Lexington)
October 1929
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B)
LTjg Robert Larson '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg William Graham, Jr. '25 (USS Lexington)
ENS William Potts '27 (USS Lexington)
ENS John Yoho '29 (USS Lexington)
January 1930
LT Thomas Fisher '18 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Hubert Waters '25 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Robert Winters '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS Eugene Lindsey '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS Julian Greer '27 (Aircraft Squadrons, Battle Fleet)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (USS Saratoga)
April 1930
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Charles McDonald '24 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Julian Greer '27 (Light Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Henry Twohy '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
October 1930
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Charles Hart '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Dudley Morton '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Craig '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
January 1931
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Renwick Calderhead '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Charles Hart '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Dudley Morton '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Craig '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
April 1931
LT Van Moore '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT Dixie Kiefer '19 (USS Saratoga)
LT William Sample '19 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
LTjg Claude Haman '26 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Robert Symes '27 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Warren Graf '27 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Weldon Hamilton '28 (Torpedo and Bombing Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
ENS Jacob Britt '29 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Clarkson '30 (USS Saratoga)
ENS James Kyes '30 (USS Saratoga)
July 1931
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Richard Moss '24
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg William Potts '27
ENS Carl Lindgren '28
October 1931
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
January 1932
LT Jack Richardson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26
April 1932
LT Jack Richardson '19
LT Irving Wiltsie '21
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Robert Larson '24
LTjg James McDonough '24
LTjg Charles McDonald '24
LTjg Arthur Farrell '25
LTjg Carlton Hutchins '26
2LT Lofton Henderson '26
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
LT John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Ralph Smith '26 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Alfred Tucker, III '31 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Burton '33 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
January 1936
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Loren Morris '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
April 1936
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Arnold Isbell '21 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Harold Richards '27 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg James Murphy '31 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
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