GEORGE F. RICHARDS, LT, USN
George Richards '47
Lucky Bag
From the 1947 Lucky Bag:
George Frank Richards, Jr.
Olton, Texas
George is characteristically Texan. The "touch of Texas in his walk" has bewildered the less imaginative who are forever looking for nonexistent gopher holes. He spends a great deal of time in heated arguments concerning the virtues of his home state. Cactus has an insatiable appetite for movies, and rarely misses a liberty on any account. His ability with the guitar attracts many to his nightly sessions, making life miserable for his roommate. A versatile athlete, he has busied himself mainly with basketball and baseball, winning minor letters in both. Conscientious, quiet—certainly not garrulous—Rich commands the respect of everyone.
The Class of 1947 was graduated in June 1946 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
George Frank Richards, Jr.
Olton, Texas
George is characteristically Texan. The "touch of Texas in his walk" has bewildered the less imaginative who are forever looking for nonexistent gopher holes. He spends a great deal of time in heated arguments concerning the virtues of his home state. Cactus has an insatiable appetite for movies, and rarely misses a liberty on any account. His ability with the guitar attracts many to his nightly sessions, making life miserable for his roommate. A versatile athlete, he has busied himself mainly with basketball and baseball, winning minor letters in both. Conscientious, quiet—certainly not garrulous—Rich commands the respect of everyone.
The Class of 1947 was graduated in June 1946 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
Loss
From the April 1957 issue of Shipmate:
The class has been deeply saddened by a report of the death of Lt. GEORGE F. RICHARDS, JR., in line of duty. Marilyn Richards, writing from her home in 5360 LaJolla Blvd., LaJolla, Calif., tells us:
"He was killed on a long-range low-level navigation flight (routine) on January 16, 1957. He was flying the Douglas AD-6 `Skyraider' so was alone in his plane when the accident occurred, but two other AD's were flying his 'wing' at the time. I am quoting this information from a letter I received from his skipper. I continue to quote: 'George was an outstanding pilot with many hours of experience in the model of plane he was flying. He had far more experience in this particular type of flying than most of us. His ability, good judgment and his experience make me believe that had it been possible for a pilot to avoid this accident, George was the pilot to have done so.' The flight was out of Miramar but the accident occurred in northeast Arizona in the desert. His squadron was still VA-55 and he was scheduled to go overseas again for another seven-month tour this April. The skipper learned the morning of the accident that George was scheduled to be sent to Naval War College in Newport upon his return from overseas and reorganization of the squadron. He had just completed the Strategy and Tactics correspondence course from there.
The class and in particular George's classmates of the 24th Company extend to Marilyn Richards and the boys their heartfelt sympathies.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In 1940, his father George was a road engineer for the county, and his mother Winnifred was a café waitress. His sister was Billy Louise.
George is buried in California.
Related Articles
John Lyons, Jr. '47 was also in 24th Company.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
