MALCOLM A. AVORE, LT, USN
Malcolm Avore '60
Lucky Bag
From the 1960 Lucky Bag:
MALCOLM ARTHUR AVORE
Hallowell, Maine
Art entered the Naval Academy upon graduation from high school in Hallowell, Maine. While working very hard to maintain his high scholastic standing, he nevertheless managed to find time to assist his classmates in any way he could. Well known for his vivacious sense of humor, Art made many friends during his four years as a midshipman. By no means a stranger to athletics, he played first base for the plebes and excelled in intramural football, basketball. Softball, and tennis. His intelligence, quick wit, and athletic ability should make Art one of our most outstanding jet jockeys.
MALCOLM ARTHUR AVORE
Hallowell, Maine
Art entered the Naval Academy upon graduation from high school in Hallowell, Maine. While working very hard to maintain his high scholastic standing, he nevertheless managed to find time to assist his classmates in any way he could. Well known for his vivacious sense of humor, Art made many friends during his four years as a midshipman. By no means a stranger to athletics, he played first base for the plebes and excelled in intramural football, basketball. Softball, and tennis. His intelligence, quick wit, and athletic ability should make Art one of our most outstanding jet jockeys.
Loss
Malcolm was lost on November 25, 1965 when the A-4D Skyhawk he was piloting crashed immediately after launching from USS Oriskany (CV 37) in the South China Sea. He was a member of Attack Squadron (VA) 163.
Other Information
From Find A Grave:
Hallowell Airman Dies In Aircraft Carrier Accident.
Hallowell- Lt. M Arthur Avore, 26, a jet pilot lost his life in a crash Sunday in the South China Sea according to word received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H Malcolm Avore, 19 Greenville St..
A telegram from Vice Admiral B J Semmes Jr, US Navy Chief of Naval Personnel received late Sunday, said that Lt. Avore died when his aircraft crashed in the water shortly after an apparently normal catapult launch. His body was not recovered.
His mother received a birthday card and a letter written July 8 from him in the Monday morning mail.
Lt. Avore was attached to the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany out of San Diego, Calif and was based at Lemoore, Calif with the 7th Fleet Training Station. He flew a A4D Skyhawk and his squadron was called The Saints. He left California in April for an eight months cruise and had hoped to be home in time by Christmas.
He graduated from Hallowell High School, where he was an honor student and starred in sports. He received an appointment to the US Naval Academy from which he graduated in 1960. His preliminary flight training was at Pensacola, Fla., and he received his Navy wings at Corpus Christi, Texas. He afterwards attended aircraft maintenance school at Memphis, Tenn. for six months.
He was a member of Cox Memorial Methodist Church.
His brother James, left Monday for California where he will stay with Mrs. Avore and the two children until they come home to Maine. Mrs. Avore is the former Margaret Whittaker of Augusta. Lt Malcolm Arthur Avore was born August 25 1938 at Farmington the son of H Malcolm Avore and Nettie Cox Avore.
Besides his widow, he is survived by a son Scott, 3, and a daughter Diane, 1, all of Lemoore, California, his parents, a brother James of Hallowell, two sisters, the misses Mary and Nancy Avore, both of Hallowell, two aunts, Mrs. Reginald Ricker of Augusta and Mrs. Wilfred Sample of Portland, and several cousins.
Mr and Mrs Avore said Monday that they did not know just when to expect their daughter-in-law and grandchildren to arrive nor did they know as yet what her future plans might include.
He has a memory marker in Maine.
Because his loss was not due to enemy action, his name is not on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall. He is, of course, listed with his classmates.
Remembrances
From USNA '60 Memorial Site:
Malcolm A. “Art” Avore was known throughout the class for his unflagging sense of humor and quick wit, experienced the fulfillment of his dreams of four years (or longer) when he reported for flight training in Pensacola in July 1960. After earning his wings in November 1961 at Beeville, Texas, he reported first to Memphis, TN for Maintenance Officer training. Then in August 1962, to a light attack squadron, VA-163, in Lemoore, CA to fly the A-4 Skyhawk, deploying several times on USS Oriskany (CV 34). On July 18, 1965, Art was lost when his aircraft flew into the water immediately after being catapulted from Oriskany in the South China Sea on a scheduled combat mission over Viet Nam. Art and Margaret (Peggy) Whittaker were married on June 17, 1961. They had two children; a son, Scott, born 12 August 1962 and a daughter, Diane, born 21 October 1963. Art was a native of Hallowell, Maine. Don Broadfield, 20th Co 30th Year Book
From USNA '60 Memorial Site:
After escaping the Pensacola BOQ "barracks," Art, Joel Febel and I shared a little three-bedroom cottage out on Gulf Beach Hwy out the West gate of Sherman Field for awhile until Art and I got married in ‘61. I don’t know how we partied so much on so little money. I recall that we used to play darts to find out who did the dishes, loser washes. With his great natural athletic ability, Arty always seemed to escape this chore and I wound up with dishpan hands. One other incident that stands out is a beaut! Art’s and my cars were in the shop so he borrowed some girl’s VW bug because we had a full dress inspection the next day, a Saturday. Not recalling whether Joel was involved, that morning was the usual fire drill and uniform race following a Friday nite party and we sped off down the road as fast as we could get that bug hummin’ (Arty driving). Nearing the base on a turn that little bug half rolled in such slow motion that it wound up stopping upside down wheels a spinnin’ and ne’re a scratch except to the top which needed a little pop and paint. I recall vividly our scrambling out of those little windows in a clatter of Dress White uniform parts, swords and dirt. We pushed it over and proceeded on to the inspection, and I think we even made it. Art was really pissed, not for missing inspection, but for the extra money it would cost him and the probable punishment (restriction) he might get (previous warnings) that might impact his and Peg’s impending wedding. Somehow he talked his way through it all and the marriage took place on schedule. Ron Hinkel, 14th Co 30th Year Book
Memorials
The Borough of Closter, NJ, dedicated the Lt. Donald A. Mollicone Memorial Park in 1969. It was refurbished and re-dedicated in May 2016 as a part of an Eagle Scout project.
Memorial Hall Error?
Malcolm is not listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall. While not an obvious error, inclusion on the panel for crashes like this — which appears to be incidental to a combat flights — has been inconsistent across WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
