REGINALD J. PROSEUS, LCDR, USN
Reginald Proseus, Jr. '40
Lucky Bag
From the 1940 Lucky Bag:
REGINALD JOHN PROSEUS
Sodus, New York
Prosh
A lithe body, a sharp mind, and a modest manner — completely describe "Prosie." His favorite sports — tennis and boxing; his hobbies — architecture and the reading of good books. Although he isn't perfect, in four years we've found no faults worth mentioning. He was born in Sodus, New York and showed an early interest in architecture. At eighteen he entered the Academy and began his naval career. Where that career will lead, only time can tell, but if quiet industry and an unfailing equanimity of spirit are requisite to a successful naval career, then that shall be his ultimate achievement.
Boxing 4; C.P.O.
REGINALD JOHN PROSEUS
Sodus, New York
Prosh
A lithe body, a sharp mind, and a modest manner — completely describe "Prosie." His favorite sports — tennis and boxing; his hobbies — architecture and the reading of good books. Although he isn't perfect, in four years we've found no faults worth mentioning. He was born in Sodus, New York and showed an early interest in architecture. At eighteen he entered the Academy and began his naval career. Where that career will lead, only time can tell, but if quiet industry and an unfailing equanimity of spirit are requisite to a successful naval career, then that shall be his ultimate achievement.
Boxing 4; C.P.O.
Loss
Prosie was lost when USS Robalo (SS 273) sank on July 26, 1944, possibly by a mine. Only four men survived the initial sinking, but they were captured and did not survive to tell what they knew of the loss.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Reginald was the valedictorian of Sodus High School in 1935. In public speaking, he told the story “I am a Jew.” It was about a Jew persecuted under the Hitler regime. The yearbook wrote: “Reg sure can make me see that old doctor choosing death to a betrayal of his race. That was sumpin!”
He was voted Best Boy Student and Most school spirit who had done most for the school. His best friend: The S.O. gavel. Ambition: I want to be a wanderer. Favorite expression: shoo, fly!
Reginald was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman John Taber.
His first flight was going to the west coast after graduation from the Naval Academy. He graduated polliwog to shellback after the Father Neptune’s realm initiation on fleet maneuvers. He was stationed on the USS Boise which had been in Hawaiian waters since June 1940. In December 1942, he went to submarine school in New London, Connecticut.
He married Lucy Darnell in Trinity Episcopal Church in Huntington, West Virginia, on December 12, 1942. His father was Myron.
The Sodus Presbyterian Church dedicated a walnut plaque in 1942 to their servicemen including Reginald.
His wife was listed as next of kin.
Reginald is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
Photographs
From his high school yearbook
From the Lucky Bag
From the Democrat and Chronicle on September 9, 1944
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.
June 1940
Memorial Hall Error
Memorial Hall lists him as a LT, but multiple other sources have him as a LCDR. Posthumous promotion? Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps of 1945 lists him as a Lieutenant. (Unable to locate a 1946 edition of this document.)
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
