CHARLES W. FELL, LCDR, USNR

Charles Fell '34

Date of birth: November 6, 1911

Date of death: July 26, 1944

Age: 32

Lucky Bag

From the 1934 Lucky Bag:

CHARLES WOODFORD FELL

Indianapolis, Indiana

"Cholly" "Charlie" "Pfel"

GENTLE readers, above this you see The man Fell or Butch or Cholly as he is affectionately called by his many friends. Ah, yes, he has many friends, for despite the grim look of determination and the look of high ambition and unshakable resolve that you see in this, the above portrait, we who have lived with him these (for us epic) past four years know him as a most likeable and firm friend. The Man Fell is indeed a rare combination of jovialty, good humor and savoir faire.

A word as to his past accomplishments. Charlie lives in Indiana and coming from a family which has a decided penchant for Harvard he went there despite his desire to become a naval officer. However, during his first year there he secured his appointment and a few months later his ambition was realized. From Plebe Summer on Charlie manifested an especial aptitude in handling our own language and since then has maintained that ability, has made deep inroads into the Departments of Modern Language and of Mathematics, has won a numeral in class swimming and was a member of the lightweight crew squad.

Also, being a man of versatility and always having a ready joke, our hero has been elected one of our cheer-leaders. We might say a better man could not have been selected.

To summarize: Charlie can eat the most, yell the loudest, crack the wisest, and drag more beautiful femmes than any man in the Regiment.

Cheer-leader. 2 P.O.

CHARLES WOODFORD FELL

Indianapolis, Indiana

"Cholly" "Charlie" "Pfel"

GENTLE readers, above this you see The man Fell or Butch or Cholly as he is affectionately called by his many friends. Ah, yes, he has many friends, for despite the grim look of determination and the look of high ambition and unshakable resolve that you see in this, the above portrait, we who have lived with him these (for us epic) past four years know him as a most likeable and firm friend. The Man Fell is indeed a rare combination of jovialty, good humor and savoir faire.

A word as to his past accomplishments. Charlie lives in Indiana and coming from a family which has a decided penchant for Harvard he went there despite his desire to become a naval officer. However, during his first year there he secured his appointment and a few months later his ambition was realized. From Plebe Summer on Charlie manifested an especial aptitude in handling our own language and since then has maintained that ability, has made deep inroads into the Departments of Modern Language and of Mathematics, has won a numeral in class swimming and was a member of the lightweight crew squad.

Also, being a man of versatility and always having a ready joke, our hero has been elected one of our cheer-leaders. We might say a better man could not have been selected.

To summarize: Charlie can eat the most, yell the loudest, crack the wisest, and drag more beautiful femmes than any man in the Regiment.

Cheer-leader. 2 P.O.

Loss

Charlie was lost when USS Robalo (SS 273) was sunk by a Japanese mine near Palawan Island on July 26, 1944. He was the boat's executive officer.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Charles graduated from Shortridge high school. Clap hands – here comes Charley! The funniest fellow in the senior class and has a never-ending source of jokes. Unofficially made class comedian. Noted for his versatility. A dandy fellow. Head nit-wit of the Junior Vaudeville. Senior yell leader. Boys’ Class Day Committee. Junior Drama League. Senate. Ex-sports editor of Monday’s.
An Eagle Scout, Charles was nominated to the Naval Academy by Representative Louis Ludlow. The opening was obtained by Senator James E. Watson. Charles was attending Harvard university at the time.
In 1930, his mother Priscilla was a private nurse who was divorced, brother John, and sister Lilla.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He was also survived by his parents, Charles D. and Priscilla.

Photographs

From The Indianapolis Star on June 7, 1930
From his high school yearbook

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

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.