CLARENCE E. KASPAREK, LT, USN
Clarence Kasparek '32
Lucky Bag
From the 1932 Lucky Bag:
CLARENCE EMERY KASPAREK
Odell, Nebraska
"Gus" "Cowboy" "Kas"
Away out in the wilds of Nebraska, our big, handsome Bohemian first decided to cast his lot with "those who go down to the sea in ships" and came barging into Crabtown late one day in June, 1928. Since then we've watched his progress from a lowly plebe to a venerable first classman.
Gus is naturally fickle, no one girl ever having been able to hold his attention for more than a month. Witness, Second Class summer when he had six O. A. O.'s in three months. He is not a snake, but when he drags you can look for a 4.0.
Though not a star man, "Cowboy" stands high enough in his class to be assured of a commission in the "Gyrenes," a lifelong ambition.
A good nature, a keen sense of humor, and a cheerful disposition are bound to make a lot of friends for "Gus," no matter where he is—in the Marine Corps or digging ditches. And, no matter where he is, there will be lots of his classmates, scattered all over the globe, pulling for him.
Water Polo; Class Water Polo; Company Basketball; 2 P.O.
CLARENCE EMERY KASPAREK
Odell, Nebraska
"Gus" "Cowboy" "Kas"
Away out in the wilds of Nebraska, our big, handsome Bohemian first decided to cast his lot with "those who go down to the sea in ships" and came barging into Crabtown late one day in June, 1928. Since then we've watched his progress from a lowly plebe to a venerable first classman.
Gus is naturally fickle, no one girl ever having been able to hold his attention for more than a month. Witness, Second Class summer when he had six O. A. O.'s in three months. He is not a snake, but when he drags you can look for a 4.0.
Though not a star man, "Cowboy" stands high enough in his class to be assured of a commission in the "Gyrenes," a lifelong ambition.
A good nature, a keen sense of humor, and a cheerful disposition are bound to make a lot of friends for "Gus," no matter where he is—in the Marine Corps or digging ditches. And, no matter where he is, there will be lots of his classmates, scattered all over the globe, pulling for him.
Water Polo; Class Water Polo; Company Basketball; 2 P.O.
Loss
Clarence was lost when the plane he was piloting crashed during night landing practice in San Diego, California on August 15, 1938. All aboard were killed.
That day, three naval bombing planes crashed within eight hours leaving six dead, one missing, and six injured. They were all practicing night landings in preparation for the August 31 massed flight to Coco Solo, Panama.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In January 1916, first-grader Clarence was on the honor roll and the "not absent" list for the previous quarter. His brother Frank also had a high average in the seventh grade. In February 1918, Clarence had measles and missed school. In the summer of 1921, Clarence attended the Y. M. C. A. Boys Camp on the Blue five miles northwest of Beatrice.
At the football banquet on December 8, 1925, Capt-elect Clarence spoke on "Prospects." The next month, Clarence played Pat McNoodle, head of Professor's staff in "The Great Medical Dispensary" where diseases are cured mechanically.
Clarence graduated in 1927 from Odell high school. He and a classmate tied for class honors, and both were awarded scholarships.
In December 1934, in Pensacola, Clarence married Catherine Fleming of New Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Their daughter was named Catherine Jean.
He was survived by his mother was Anna, sister Kay, and brothers Everett and Vernon. His father Henry, who owned a furniture store, died in 1914. Clarence's brother Frank died in September 1937. His grandparents were Bohemians.
He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery with his wife, who survived him. (They were married sometime before January 1936.) He was also survived by "a baby daughter", his mother, and two brothers.
Photographs
From The Lincoln Star on August 17, 1938
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 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
October 1934
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31
LTjg Ford Wallace '31
LTjg William Freshour '31
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
January 1935
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31
ENS Edward Allen '31
April 1935
LT James Craig '22
LTjg John Duke '26
LTjg Ralph Smith '26
LTjg Robert Coates '30
1LT Nicholas Pusel '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
LTjg Vernon Hain '31
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31
ENS Edward Allen '31
October 1935
LT James Craig '22
LT Richard Moss '24
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Robert Coates '30
1LT Nicholas Pusel '30
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
1LT Harold Bauer '30
January 1936
LTjg Harrington Drake '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
April 1936
LTjg Harrington Drake '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
July 1936
LTjg William Thorn '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 1B)
January 1937
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
April 1937
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Leonard Southerland '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LT William Pye, Jr. '28 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Ford Wallace '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg George Bellinger '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
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