DONALD D. PATTERSON, LT, USN

Donald Patterson '37

Date of birth: April 23, 1913

Date of death: January 14, 1942

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1937 Lucky Bag:

DONALD DELOS PATTERSON

Waterloo, Iowa

"Pat" "Red"

Reveille means nothing to our redheaded Pat. At eight o'clock, he realizes it's daylight, and by noon he may be wide awake. But awake or "in the fog," he always has his sharp wit primed for a snappy comeback. His engaging personality has led him to drag to many hops, so he's not exactly a Red Mike. Red has never been bothered by academics or athletics, although outdoor rifle usually manages to get him off the radiator, if he's not peeking at the fairer visitors through binoculars. Always cheerful, seldom discouraged, a fine shipmate, and a real pal!

Outdoor Rifle 4, 3, 2, 1. Two Stripes.

DONALD DELOS PATTERSON

Waterloo, Iowa

"Pat" "Red"

Reveille means nothing to our redheaded Pat. At eight o'clock, he realizes it's daylight, and by noon he may be wide awake. But awake or "in the fog," he always has his sharp wit primed for a snappy comeback. His engaging personality has led him to drag to many hops, so he's not exactly a Red Mike. Red has never been bothered by academics or athletics, although outdoor rifle usually manages to get him off the radiator, if he's not peeking at the fairer visitors through binoculars. Always cheerful, seldom discouraged, a fine shipmate, and a real pal!

Outdoor Rifle 4, 3, 2, 1. Two Stripes.

Loss

Donald was lost when his SB2U-2 Vindicator dive bomber crashed off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia on January 14, 1942. He was a member of Scouting Squadron (VS) 71, operating from USS Wasp (CV 7).

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Donald was born in Kesley, Iowa. He graduated in 1931 from East High School in Waterloo. “Full of wise saws and modern instances.” Member of Hi-Y; President of the Trojan Knights; participated in the Commencement play “The Passing of the Third Floor Back.” Prediction for 1945: Chauffeur to the Ambassador from Guatemala – Washington D. C.
He attended Iowa State college at Ames for a short time, and then joined the navy. He was a member of the First Presbyterian church in Waterloo.
In mid-1932 his parents received a letter from the Naval Academy stating: “Your son has been selected honor man of his company for his excellent ability, cleanliness, aptitude and influence.”
Survivors included his wife of three months, the former Marjorie Lois McKane, his parents Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Patterson, sister Marjorie, and his three brothers, Hugh, a member of the Waterloo Daily Courier circulation staff, Samuel, a chief radio operator in the Pacific fleet and navy veteran, and Robert.

His wife was listed as next of kin. Donald has a memory marker in Iowa.

Career

Donald reported to NAS Pensacola for flight training on June 30, 1939 as an Ensign. He was promoted to LTJG on June 3, 1940; on June 20, 1940 he was designated naval aviator #6504. On January 3, 1942 he was promoted to LT. (Information from Richard Leonard, naval aviation historian.)

Memorial Hall Error?

Donald is not listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall. While not an obvious error, inclusion on the panel for crashes like this—which appears to be incidental to a combat flight—has been inconsistent across WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

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.