JOSEPH L. EVANS, LTJG, USN
Joseph Evans '36
Lucky Bag
From the 1936 Lucky Bag:
Joseph Lewis Evans
Shamokin, Pennsylvania
"Joe"
Far away in the little Pennsylvania mining town of Shamokin, Joe heard the call of the sea and after extensive preparations commenced his naval career late in June of '32. His knack of easily overcoming all obstacles enabled him to achieve the maximum results with minimum efforts. Even though a tough term exam was to be the next day, Joe always found time to dash off a few lines to his fair admirers and to hastily peruse his home town paper. His accomplishments in football and lacrosse will make his name a fixture in Navy athletics but his crowning achievement was rope climbing in the gym! He'll be successful in whatever he undertakes. Behave yourself, Joe, and lots of luck though we know you'll never need it.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1. N; Lacrosse 4, 3, 2, 1. N**; N Club; Class Ring Committee; N.A.C.A. Council 4, 3, 2, 1. Vice-President; Choir 4, 3, 2, 1; Two Stripes
Joseph Lewis Evans
Shamokin, Pennsylvania
"Joe"
Far away in the little Pennsylvania mining town of Shamokin, Joe heard the call of the sea and after extensive preparations commenced his naval career late in June of '32. His knack of easily overcoming all obstacles enabled him to achieve the maximum results with minimum efforts. Even though a tough term exam was to be the next day, Joe always found time to dash off a few lines to his fair admirers and to hastily peruse his home town paper. His accomplishments in football and lacrosse will make his name a fixture in Navy athletics but his crowning achievement was rope climbing in the gym! He'll be successful in whatever he undertakes. Behave yourself, Joe, and lots of luck though we know you'll never need it.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1. N; Lacrosse 4, 3, 2, 1. N**; N Club; Class Ring Committee; N.A.C.A. Council 4, 3, 2, 1. Vice-President; Choir 4, 3, 2, 1; Two Stripes
Loss
From naval aviation researcher Richard Leonard on December 29, 2017:
Tracked down his loss to while he was in VS-72, USS Wasp (CV-7), killed in an at sea crash near Guantanamo, BNR, 7/9/1940
Other Information
From the Shamokin News Dispatch on July 10, 1940:
Joseph Lewis Evans, son of James C. and Grace (Lewis) Evans, was born here September 12, 1912. His maternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. H. Theodore Lewis, pioneer Shamokin settlers, and his paternal grandfather was the late Joseph Evans, widely known coal operator here. He attended Shamokin High ‘School and was graduated in the Class of 1930 after starring in football and basketball throughout his local scholastic career.
Following graduation, Evans entered Mercersburg Academy and graduated from that institution in ' 1931. He then entered Severn Military Academy, at Severn-on-the-Potomac, and graduated from the academy in 1932. He entered United States Military Academy at Annapolis and during his four years in the institution | Was prominent in athletics. He earned a place on the Navy Plebes football team in his first year, and through his athletic ability gained a varsity berth on the football team during the years of 1933, 1934 and 1935, He played against Army during his senior year and earned the coveted “star” for participating in the annual service contest.
Joseph Evans also starred at lacrosse during his four years at school and distinguished himself in that sport, gaining another coveted “star” in participating against the United States Military Academy. In football he was a back, and because of his unusual physique played a defense halfback, During his closing year at school he was used at fullback position, because of his exceptional charging ability.
Following graduation from United States Naval Academy Evans was ordered to the Pacific coast and assigned as a lieutenant on the United States cruiser Chicago. Two years ago he was ordered East and was assigned to a post on the United States destroyer Dunlap, but only served four days, after which he was called to Pensacola, where he entered the United States Naval Air Training School and was graduated in 1939.
The young naval officer then went to Norfolk, Va., where he was stationed from September, 1939, to May 31, of this year. Two weeks ago he left with members of the crew of the naval air carrier Wasp, for southern waters. He was communication officer on the Wasp and was second in command of aviation on the vessel. Recently Lieutenant Evans completed a course in chemical warfare at Edgewood Arsenal and was well versed in modern war tactics and technology.
Fraternally Lieutenant Evans was a member of Shamokin Lodge No. 295 of Masons. He was also a member of the old Phi Rho Sigma fraternity.
Surviving are his parents and two sisters, Miss Suzanne, at home, and Louise, of Pittsburgh.
The article also mentioned that his aircrewman was also lost, and that this was the third crash he had experienced.
Joseph has a memory marker in Pennsylvania.
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.
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
ENS Mark Eslick, Jr. '35 (Cruiser Division 5)
July 1938
LT Renwick Calderhead '27\
LTjg Samuel Dealey '30\
LTjg John Huntley '31\
LTjg Albert Gray '31\
LTjg George Ottinger '32\
LTjg William Widhelm '32\
ENS Glenn Dunagan '33
CAPT Paul Moret '30 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
January 1939
LT Renwick Calderhead '27\
LT Samuel Dealey '30\
LTjg John Huntley '31\
LTjg Albert Gray '31\
LTjg William Thorn '32\
LTjg Glenn Dunagan '33
CAPT Paul Moret '30 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)\
LT Alden Irons '31 (Training Squadron (VN) 3D8)
LTjg William Widhelm '32 (Training Squadron (VN) 5D8)\
2LT Ralph Haas '36 (Marine Barracks)
October 1939
LTjg James Fitzpatrick, Jr. '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 7)
June 1940
LT John Eldridge, Jr. '27 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 71)\
LT John Burke '28 (USS Wasp)\
LTjg James Fitzpatrick, Jr. '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 7)\
LTjg Dewitt Harrell '35 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 71)
ENS John Smith '38 (USS Wasp)\
ENS William Cook '38 (USS Wasp)\
ENS Lester Wall, Jr. '39 (USS Wasp)
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
