GEORGE R. SMITH, LCDR, USN

George Smith '39

Date of birth: June 20, 1917

Date of death: October 3, 1945

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1939 Lucky Bag:

GEORGE RICHARD SMITH

Indianapolis, Indiana

Smitty, Rich, Dick

From the Hoosier State, Smitty has done much to uphold the reputation of the mid-west at the Academy. In spite of the fact that he possesses a mania for working crossword puzzles during study hours, Smitty has always managed to stand near the head of his class. Although he claims to be a red mike, he boasts an enviable collection of feminine photographs, and drags quite frequently. However, little-understood womankind has been one of his major philosophical problems. Smitty possesses all the natural traits which are indispensable to success in the Navy. His quiet modest manner and his willingness to help others make him an ideal roommate. Smitty is a hard-working fellow who will keep plugging away until he has achieved his ambitions.

Fencing 4; Lacrosse 4; 3 Stripes.

GEORGE RICHARD SMITH

Indianapolis, Indiana

Smitty, Rich, Dick

From the Hoosier State, Smitty has done much to uphold the reputation of the mid-west at the Academy. In spite of the fact that he possesses a mania for working crossword puzzles during study hours, Smitty has always managed to stand near the head of his class. Although he claims to be a red mike, he boasts an enviable collection of feminine photographs, and drags quite frequently. However, little-understood womankind has been one of his major philosophical problems. Smitty possesses all the natural traits which are indispensable to success in the Navy. His quiet modest manner and his willingness to help others make him an ideal roommate. Smitty is a hard-working fellow who will keep plugging away until he has achieved his ambitions.

Fencing 4; Lacrosse 4; 3 Stripes.

Loss

From Patrol Squadron (VP) 32:

A PBY-5A piloted by VPB-62’s commanding officer Commander George R. Smith, which took off from Cold Bay, Alaska, carrying a full crew and nine passengers, crashed at the foot of Old Woman’s Mountain. Eight of the 15 people aboard were killed.

The date of the crash was October 3, 1945; he had been commanding officer since December 1, 1944.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

George, who went by Richard or Dick, and Elizabeth King were married on June 16, 1941, in New Brunswick/Maine. Their daughter was born March 16, 1944.
From the Detroit Free Press on February 8, 1943:

Lieut. and Mrs. Richard Smith (Elizabeth King), who had been living in San Francisco, Calif., left last week for Hensley Field in Dallas, Tex., after visiting her mother for three days. Her sister Ensign Martha King, WAVES, was stationed at the Navy Yard in Washington.

On August 14, 1943 in that same paper:

Lieut. Richard Smith was awarded his wings as a Navy flier. The young Smiths have had an exciting married life since Elizabeth went out to the west coast two years ago to marry Rich, who had been stationed in Hawaii after his graduation from Annapolis. Then Rich was in the Solomons for six months before being transferred into the Air corps. Since he’s been back, Elizabeth has traveled around with him, and she was in Pensacola to pin his wings on yesterday.

And June 9, 1944:

Lt. Comm. and Mrs. Richard Smith and their little daughter Eileen were guests of her mother on Boston Blvd. Elizabeth will remain, but Dick is leaving Sunday to report for duty in San Diego.

On his military card, his address was 2009 N. New Jersey Street, Indianapolis. Indiana. In 1940, his mother Helen B. was a church welfare visitor, his brother Robert, age 25, was a medical laboratory efficiency man, and his brother David was 18. In 1930, Richard lived at this address. I believe he graduated from Shortridge High School in 1935.
Richard’s father Matthew attended the Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 1910. He married Helen Bargar on January 1, 1913, in Smithfield, Ohio. In 1920, his father Matthew F., a clergyman, lived in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania with his family. Richard was born in Pennsylvania, and his father died on February 27, 1926, in Indianapolis.
Richard is buried near his parents and his brother David, a Navy Lt jg in WWII, at Beechwoods Cemetery, Falls Creek, Pennsylvania.

His wife was listed as next of kin; he was also survived by his daughter and mother.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

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.