FRANK WELCH, JR., CDR, USN

Frank Welch, Jr. '41

Date of birth: November 17, 1918

Date of death: October 29, 1951

Age: 32

Lucky Bag

From the 1941 Lucky Bag:

FRANK WELCH, JR.

San Diego, California

A Californian by sentiment and a New Englander by fact, this curly-browed lad combines the swagger of the former and the cold shrewdness of the latter with pleasing results. Conservative in taste as well as in thought and thoroughly logical in all action, Frank never finds time nor occasion to be governed by mood.

His casual lack of concern leaves him unscarred by the raging wars sponsored by the Academic Department. Physically he boasts of a Scotch ruggedness that dates back to sea-faring warriors of note. The lure of the water doubtless accounts for a strong tendency to crew, though his love for a full pipe of raw tobacco and a love to philosophize with said pipe in hand has kept him from assuming the role of the serious athlete. Couple this with an even-tempered disposition and you have an insight to the reason for his many friends and no enemies. . . .

Boat Club 4, 3, 2; Battalion Basketball 4, 3; Battalion Crew 4, 2; Company Representative 3, 2.

The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

FRANK WELCH, JR.

San Diego, California

A Californian by sentiment and a New Englander by fact, this curly-browed lad combines the swagger of the former and the cold shrewdness of the latter with pleasing results. Conservative in taste as well as in thought and thoroughly logical in all action, Frank never finds time nor occasion to be governed by mood.

His casual lack of concern leaves him unscarred by the raging wars sponsored by the Academic Department. Physically he boasts of a Scotch ruggedness that dates back to sea-faring warriors of note. The lure of the water doubtless accounts for a strong tendency to crew, though his love for a full pipe of raw tobacco and a love to philosophize with said pipe in hand has kept him from assuming the role of the serious athlete. Couple this with an even-tempered disposition and you have an insight to the reason for his many friends and no enemies. . . .

Boat Club 4, 3, 2; Battalion Basketball 4, 3; Battalion Crew 4, 2; Company Representative 3, 2.

The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

Loss

Frank was lost on October 29, 1951 when his F9F Panther "crashed into the sea from the landing pattern."

He was commanding officer of Fighter Squadron (VF) 111, embarked in USS Valley Forge (CV 45) since October 1951 and bound for the Korean War. He had been in command since only June 6, 1951.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Frank was born in Louisiana. His father served in the Navy. In 1920 New Orleans, he was a petty officer; in 1930 San Diego, he was a chief warrant officer, and in 1940, he was a chief carpenter. Frank's mother was Emily, and his sister was Mary. Frank was survived by his wife and son who lived in Coronado, California.

Frank was a 1950 graduate of Caltech.

He has a memory marker in California.

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.