GEORGE T. MCCUTCHAN, CDR, USN

George McCutchan '33

Date of birth: November 30, 1910

Date of death: August 24, 1944

Age: 33

Lucky Bag

From the 1933 Lucky Bag:

GEORGE THURSTON McCUTCHAN

Evansville, Indiana

"Mac"

Joe Cook and the Evansville Elks Club are not the only products of Southern Indiana. This charming locality is also responsible for G. Thurston (Gee, I'm thirsty) McCutchan, whose nautical aspirations were developed on the banks of the Ohio River; while watching the hourly ferryboat churn its wobbling way toward Henderson, Kentucky.

Since the beginning of his naval career at Annapolis, Mac has governed his actions by the idea that the fruit of life is experience and not humdrum contentment. Hence, instead of being a regulation potential striper (usually a most contented type) he has been a participant in numerous fantastic scrapes.

So far, women have played only a small part in his life. Recently, upon being questioned concerning his regard for female character, he solemnly stated that women possessed only one art, that of dissimulation, which statement proves that he was either born a "red mike," or has had a thwarted romance; the latter conjecture probably being true, if one is to judge from reports of his Paris experience.

Mac has been a mediocre athlete, preferring to struggle with Schopenhauer rather than with a football or a lacrosse stick. However, he has had average success with the track and cross country squads.

May he have more than average success in life!

Track 4, 3; Cross Country 4, 2; 2 P. O.

GEORGE THURSTON McCUTCHAN

Evansville, Indiana

"Mac"

Joe Cook and the Evansville Elks Club are not the only products of Southern Indiana. This charming locality is also responsible for G. Thurston (Gee, I'm thirsty) McCutchan, whose nautical aspirations were developed on the banks of the Ohio River; while watching the hourly ferryboat churn its wobbling way toward Henderson, Kentucky.

Since the beginning of his naval career at Annapolis, Mac has governed his actions by the idea that the fruit of life is experience and not humdrum contentment. Hence, instead of being a regulation potential striper (usually a most contented type) he has been a participant in numerous fantastic scrapes.

So far, women have played only a small part in his life. Recently, upon being questioned concerning his regard for female character, he solemnly stated that women possessed only one art, that of dissimulation, which statement proves that he was either born a "red mike," or has had a thwarted romance; the latter conjecture probably being true, if one is to judge from reports of his Paris experience.

Mac has been a mediocre athlete, preferring to struggle with Schopenhauer rather than with a football or a lacrosse stick. However, he has had average success with the track and cross country squads.

May he have more than average success in life!

Track 4, 3; Cross Country 4, 2; 2 P. O.

Loss

George was lost on August 24, 1944 in an aviation accident involving a F6F-3 near Pearl Harbor while operating from USS Ranger (CV 4). He was the commander of Air Group (CAG) 11.

Other Information

From the 1953 edition of the book "Double Three Roundup," published by the class of 1933:

As a member of '33B Mac received his commission in 1934 and in his first two years of sea duty served successively in the MARYLAND, TRENTON, RICHMOND and BERNADOU. Then from June 1936 until June 1937 he was a student at Pensacola, being designated Naval aviator on 12 May 1937. A year's duty in the CHESTER and almost two years in the AUGUSTA followed. From October 1940 until September 1941 he was attached to the Utility Unit of Aircraft, Asiatic Fleet.
On Pearl Harbor Day Mac was at the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi. In July 1943 he left to assume command of Composite Squadron 43. In November of that year he fitted out and commanded Torpedo Squadron 305. Early in 1944 he was designated skipper of Air Group 11 in the Pacific, and remained in this command until his death by plane crash (not enemy action) on 24 August 1944.
Mac was survived by his wife, the former Katherine R. Holland of Annapolis, Maryland, two daughters, Katherine Rose and Mary Frances, and one son, Michael Vincent. They are living at 6 King Charles Place in Annapolis.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Born in Missouri, George served on the state division of highways staff in Alton during 1933 and 1934. His twin daughters were born then.
He was recalled to service and assigned to Chase Field, Texas.
His father was Elmer, mother Rose, sister Elma Jean, and brothers Harold, Gilbert, John and James. In 1910, his father was a railroad accountant in Chaffee, Missouri. In 1930 Evansville, Indiana, his father was a clerk at a refrigerator plant, and his brother Harold was an accountant at a baby food plant.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

George is remembered at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii.

Photographs

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.