RALPH K. JOHN, JR., LT, USN

Ralph John, Jr. '40

Date of birth: November 14, 1916

Date of death: April 11, 1944

Age: 27

Lucky Bag

From the 1940 Lucky Bag:

RALPH KARL JOHN, JR.

Seattle, Washington

Dutch

There's a pounding outside, the door bursts open, and in rushes Dutch, gasping "What's the set-up for tomorrow?" Though intensely interested in the musical clubs and choir, he hungrily attacks his lessons. Living up to the best west coast traditions, he's a tough crew man, but possesses two weaknesses: chow and women. In his spare time he beats out tunes on the piano. His idol is Eddie Duchin. Friends know him to pun frequently and fool roughly. We always picture him in his customary manner of reprimanding himself — rubbing his "gonk" with his fist while muttering, "Dope!" As a pal and a roommate, the best ever.

Crew 4, 3, 2, 1; Soccer 4; Log 4, 3, 2, 1; Trident 2, 1; Musical Club Show 4, 1; Glee Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Choir 4, 3, 2, 1; Foreign Language Club; Senior Drama Prize 1938; 2 Stripes.

RALPH KARL JOHN, JR.

Seattle, Washington

Dutch

There's a pounding outside, the door bursts open, and in rushes Dutch, gasping "What's the set-up for tomorrow?" Though intensely interested in the musical clubs and choir, he hungrily attacks his lessons. Living up to the best west coast traditions, he's a tough crew man, but possesses two weaknesses: chow and women. In his spare time he beats out tunes on the piano. His idol is Eddie Duchin. Friends know him to pun frequently and fool roughly. We always picture him in his customary manner of reprimanding himself — rubbing his "gonk" with his fist while muttering, "Dope!" As a pal and a roommate, the best ever.

Crew 4, 3, 2, 1; Soccer 4; Log 4, 3, 2, 1; Trident 2, 1; Musical Club Show 4, 1; Glee Club 4, 3, 2, 1; Choir 4, 3, 2, 1; Foreign Language Club; Senior Drama Prize 1938; 2 Stripes.

Loss

Ralph was lost in an aircraft accident near Columbus, New Mexico, on April 11, 1944.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Ralph graduated from Garfield High School in 1933. He participated in Honor Society, track, Speaker's Club, and several senior plays. In the operetta "Don Alonso's Treasure," he played the part of Don Diego Anselmo de Gonzalez, a Spanish nobleman. Ralph was born in Illinois and married Margaret on May 6, 1942. Ralph's father was a furniture upholsterer. Mother Ethel. Sister Ethel.

Ralph previously served on the USS Louisville (CA-28). He was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade on April 15, 1942, and Lieutenant as of October 1, 1942. Ralph completed the naval aviation course by July 1, 1943.

He is buried in Washington.

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.