RICHARD R. BOUTELLE, CDR, USN
Richard Boutelle '34
Lucky Bag
From the 1934 Lucky Bag:
RICHARD ROOME BOUTELLE
Chester, Pennsylvania
"Dick" "Railroad" "Bottle"
JUST outside Chester is a large sign advertising to one and all that "What Chester Makes, Makes Chester." This boast of beneficial reciprocity has been justified if Dick is an example of Chester's product. Dick's sunny smile seems to permeate the place and is always present shining impartially on every person. Academics to him are just a pastime; he is always willing to waste the study hour admitting modestly that he is pretty good or just reading over his fan mail. When he is seen gazing with starry eyes out the window, no one thinks he is worrying about studies; it is common knowledge that a goodly portion of his time is spent figuring out . . . till the next mail and the next meal.
Dick is an inveterate sportsman, plays everything and keeps gear on hand to outfit any kind of a team, which has given some of his friends the idea that he lives in the athletic store-room. He is a real old Navy fighter in field and stand and his enthusiasm is unquenchable if noisy.
R. R's love of sport is closely rivaled by his love of rest and he has never been able to study facing the bed. Never can he reconcile himself to the fact that 2ooo beds remain unused throughout the entire day. He is never so happy as when he can turn in and take an equal strain on all parts. Friend, humorist, and sportsman, we wish you luck!
Soccer 4. Lacrosse 4. Class Lacrosse 3. 1 P.O.
RICHARD ROOME BOUTELLE
Chester, Pennsylvania
"Dick" "Railroad" "Bottle"
JUST outside Chester is a large sign advertising to one and all that "What Chester Makes, Makes Chester." This boast of beneficial reciprocity has been justified if Dick is an example of Chester's product. Dick's sunny smile seems to permeate the place and is always present shining impartially on every person. Academics to him are just a pastime; he is always willing to waste the study hour admitting modestly that he is pretty good or just reading over his fan mail. When he is seen gazing with starry eyes out the window, no one thinks he is worrying about studies; it is common knowledge that a goodly portion of his time is spent figuring out . . . till the next mail and the next meal.
Dick is an inveterate sportsman, plays everything and keeps gear on hand to outfit any kind of a team, which has given some of his friends the idea that he lives in the athletic store-room. He is a real old Navy fighter in field and stand and his enthusiasm is unquenchable if noisy.
R. R's love of sport is closely rivaled by his love of rest and he has never been able to study facing the bed. Never can he reconcile himself to the fact that 2ooo beds remain unused throughout the entire day. He is never so happy as when he can turn in and take an equal strain on all parts. Friend, humorist, and sportsman, we wish you luck!
Soccer 4. Lacrosse 4. Class Lacrosse 3. 1 P.O.
Loss
Dick died of his wounds received in the kamikaze attack on USS Nashville (CL 43) on December 13, 1944. The attack killed 132 other officers and crew.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Born in Connecticut, Richard graduated from Chester High School in 1929. In the Class Prophecy, Richard was an eminent anthropologist who believed some fossils he inspected showed “a queer kind of five-legged dog and will throw much light on the evolution theory.”
Richard married Margaret Muldoon Johnson on June 8, 1937, in Los Angeles. In 1940, they lived in Galveston, Texas. Richard and his wife sailed on the S. S. Lurline from Honolulu on August 29, 1941, to Los Angeles.
In 1930, his father George was a civil engineer for the City of Chester. His mother was Ethel, sister Elizabeth, and brother William.
His wife was listed as next of kin. He was also survived by his parents, George and Eunice.
Photographs
From his high school yearbook
Legion of Merit
From Hall of Valor:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Legion of Merit (Posthumously) to Commander Richard Roome Boutelle (NSN: 0-73437), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Engineer Officer of the Light Cruiser U.S.S. NASHVILLE (CL-3) from 15 September 1943 to 13 December 1944. During the period of his service, that ship participated in many bombardments in the Central Pacific Area and many bombardments and landing operations in the South Pacific and Southwest Pacific Areas. In addition, this ship, with high officials embarked, proceeded on various important independent missions. The engineering plant required little attention of personnel outside the engineering department of the ship. Furthermore, from time to time, the engineering personnel assisted other vessel as regards repairs and material. When mortally wounded by enemy action, Commander Boutelle's last thoughts were of his duties and he was attempting to carry out these duties when he died. In addition, so well were his subordinates trained by him that, although the ship was seriously damaged, they were able to carry one efficiently and restore the fighting power of the ship under grave conditions. Throughout, Commander Boutelle's conduct and splendid service in this position of responsibility, reflect great credit upon himself, the ship, and the United States Naval Service.
General Orders: Board Serial 003 (January 9, 1945)
Action Date: September 15, 1943 - December 13, 1944
Rank: Commander
Division: U.S.S. Nashville (CL-43)
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 1934
October 1934
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
July 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
