JACK L. BROWN, LT, USN

Jack Brown '41

Date of birth: September 15, 1918

Date of death: October 29, 1943

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1941 Lucky Bag:

JACK LeFLORE BROWN

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

As long as there are "Sooners" like Jack around, Oklahoma will never lack real boosters. If you want to know about the most civilized Americans previous to the Pilgrims from one who has always lived in the Cherokee Territory just come around and meet Jack. Like a true Oklahoman he is well versed in the history of his state, coming himself from a line which boasts a "gun-totin'" U.S. marshal in the days of the Indian Territory.

Jack has numerous accomplishments. He is particularly proud of his culinary skill as those who have made ketch trips with him can attest. Just give him a supply of cheese and eggs, a few loaves of bread, and a grill, and then stand from under.

He started out to be a teacher but now he's one of our hardiest sailors. He is headed for Pensacola and most of his spare time on leave is spent taking flying lessons. From the earnest manner in which he tackles his undertakings, Wahoo will surely be soon sporting those coveted wings.

Senior Member Boat Club.

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

JACK LeFLORE BROWN

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

As long as there are "Sooners" like Jack around, Oklahoma will never lack real boosters. If you want to know about the most civilized Americans previous to the Pilgrims from one who has always lived in the Cherokee Territory just come around and meet Jack. Like a true Oklahoman he is well versed in the history of his state, coming himself from a line which boasts a "gun-totin'" U.S. marshal in the days of the Indian Territory.

Jack has numerous accomplishments. He is particularly proud of his culinary skill as those who have made ketch trips with him can attest. Just give him a supply of cheese and eggs, a few loaves of bread, and a grill, and then stand from under.

He started out to be a teacher but now he's one of our hardiest sailors. He is headed for Pensacola and most of his spare time on leave is spent taking flying lessons. From the earnest manner in which he tackles his undertakings, Wahoo will surely be soon sporting those coveted wings.

Senior Member Boat Club.

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

Obituary

From Oklahoma War Memorial:

JACK LEFLORE BROWN, Lieutenant, Senior Grade, U. S. Navy. Home address: Tahlequah. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Brown, Parents, Tahlequah. Born September 15, 1918. Graduated U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, 1941. Of Choctaw Indian descent, member of well known LePlore family. Served with the fleet two years, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Three service stars for action at Pearl Harbor and in the Midway and the Coral Sea battles. At call for volunteers from his class, entered aviation. Trained at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, and at Pensacola, Florida, and would have received wings November 3, 1943. Died October 29, 1943, in airplane collision and crash due to heavy rain and low ceiling, near Pensacola, Florida. Funeral services at First Presbyterian Church and burial at Tahlequah.

He is buried in Oklahoma and was survived by his parents and sister.

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.