RICHARD C. GLENN, LTJG, USN

Richard Glenn '41

Date of birth: May 28, 1918

Date of death: November 13, 1942

Age: 24

Lucky Bag

From the 1941 Lucky Bag:

RICHARD CLYDE GLENN

Manhattan, Kansas

Dick lived his life away from salt water a long time before it finally got him. He spent most of the time in Topeka, Kansas. With a college experience and diligent application, Dick soon won the right to wear "stars" on his collar.

Dick likes music of all kinds; he sings in the choir. If he isn't busily engaged selling ads for Reef Points, he is usually trying to sell the book itself. When baseball season arrives, he is right there keeping tab on all the players. Although being a manager takes a lot of time, it is well spent. It pays large dividends in friends on the squad.

Dick likes a practical joke even if it is at his expense. There are times when he takes a terrific running from his buddies but soon he is laughing with them. The more serious side of life appeals to Dick; however, this view is balanced by an appreciation of the lighter side when the occasion arises.

Baseball Manager 3, 2, 1; Choir 4, 3, 2, 1; Advertising Manager Reef Points; Reception Committee 3, 2, 1.

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

RICHARD CLYDE GLENN

Manhattan, Kansas

Dick lived his life away from salt water a long time before it finally got him. He spent most of the time in Topeka, Kansas. With a college experience and diligent application, Dick soon won the right to wear "stars" on his collar.

Dick likes music of all kinds; he sings in the choir. If he isn't busily engaged selling ads for Reef Points, he is usually trying to sell the book itself. When baseball season arrives, he is right there keeping tab on all the players. Although being a manager takes a lot of time, it is well spent. It pays large dividends in friends on the squad.

Dick likes a practical joke even if it is at his expense. There are times when he takes a terrific running from his buddies but soon he is laughing with them. The more serious side of life appeals to Dick; however, this view is balanced by an appreciation of the lighter side when the occasion arises.

Baseball Manager 3, 2, 1; Choir 4, 3, 2, 1; Advertising Manager Reef Points; Reception Committee 3, 2, 1.

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

Obituary

From Find A Grave:

Richard Clyde "Dick" Glenn was a survivor of the sinking of the U.S.S. Arizona, but tragically lost his life later in World War II.
Dick was born to William Clyde Glenn and Belle Hatch Glenn on 28 May 1918. He was born in Perry, but his family moved to Manhattan soon thereafter. Growing up in Kansas, the ocean was not a part of Dick's childhood, but he apparently caught the sea air anyway! He attended Annapolis and was active in school activities as a cadet. The 'Lucky Bag' documents Dick's activities as Baseball Manager, member of the choir, and advertising manager for Reef Points.
Dick was commissioned Ensign in the U.S. Navy on 7 February 1941 and he was soon assigned to the U.S.S. Arizona (BB-39). He was on duty in his position as Junior Watch Officer when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Manning his battle station as Sec. Battalion Officer 2, Dick survived the sinking and immediately joined the crew of another vessel.
Dick was serving aboard the USS Juneau (CL 52) during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal when he was killed in action on 13 November 1942. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. Dick is honored on the list of survivors inscribed at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Honolulu, Hawaii, and on the Tablets of the Missing in Manila, the Philippines.
Like many who survived the bombing of the U.S.S. Arizona, Dick chose to remain in service, fighting in remembrance and honor of his lost comrades. His dedication, and his sacrifice, were great. Evelyn Park Blalock

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.