ROBERT Z. CORNWELL, LT, USN
Robert Cornwell '52
Lucky Bag
From the 1952 Lucky Bag:
Robert Zemp Cornwell
Pensacola, Florida
Known as the grand old man, Dad is from the land of sunshine and airplanes, Pensacola, Florida. Zemp was a stalwart on the plebe lacrosse team, gaining his experience at Severn while prepping for the Naval Academy. The Navy was no new experience for Dad, because he spent two years in the Fleet before receiving his Presidential Appointment. Zemp could be found almost any weekend at the biggest party in Annapolis—a dealer. A music lover at heart, Zemp spent considerable time playing his clarinet and collecting records. With his uncanny ability to win friends and an old dream of becoming a Navy pilot, he is well on his way to a successful career in Naval aviation.
Robert Zemp Cornwell
Pensacola, Florida
Known as the grand old man, Dad is from the land of sunshine and airplanes, Pensacola, Florida. Zemp was a stalwart on the plebe lacrosse team, gaining his experience at Severn while prepping for the Naval Academy. The Navy was no new experience for Dad, because he spent two years in the Fleet before receiving his Presidential Appointment. Zemp could be found almost any weekend at the biggest party in Annapolis—a dealer. A music lover at heart, Zemp spent considerable time playing his clarinet and collecting records. With his uncanny ability to win friends and an old dream of becoming a Navy pilot, he is well on his way to a successful career in Naval aviation.
Loss
From Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, December 1959 edition, in the '48 section of News of the Alumni:
Lt. Robert Zemp Cornwell, U. S. Navy, was killed when attempting to land on an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Mexico. He was in flight training at Pensacola, Florida.
From the March 1959 issue of Shipmate:
It is with deep regret that I report the death of ROBERT ZEMP CORNWELL at sea near Pensacola, Fla., on 20 March 1959 in an aircraft accident. He was stationed at NAAS Whiting Field, Fla., as an instructor. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Williams Cornwell, his mother, Clara P. Cornwell, and sister, Alice Jane Cornwell.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz: "Robert graduated from Marion Institute on January 29, 1944. He then attended Mercer University and was in the Naval Reserves. When he died, he was attempting to land on the aircraft carrier Antietam.
In Norfolk in 1940, his father Zemp was a machinist for the Navy, and his mother was a secretary for the Army. The family lived in Pensacola in 1930 and in Coronado in 1935."
He is buried in Florida.
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