STEVEN A. KAPITAN, 1LT, USMC

Steven Kapitan '76

Date of birth: April 8, 1954

Date of death: January 2, 1980

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1976 Lucky Bag:

STEVE ALAN KAPITAN

Kap

Known to both friend and foe as "Kap" Steve found the zone coverage of 3 — 1 and 4 — 1 more stifling than anything the opposing 150# football teams could muster. Their gang-tackling was unlike anything seen on the common gridiron. Not one to let academics get him down, Kap had a two minute drill (14 - 16 wks) that was unstoppable. All he wanted to do was work with people. Instead it seemed that the board of governors wanted to work on him. His good intentions and desire to win were two qualities which weren't striper prerequisites. He always did look better with eagles anyway! The biggest play in Kap's career has taken four years to develop. He has taken the flanker screen and eluded three would be tacklers (Lem, Deke — Jaws), Kap sees the daylight but there is one defender left — #76 — surface line. A shoe string tackle here could be a sad ending to a fine career.

STEVE ALAN KAPITAN

Kap

Known to both friend and foe as "Kap" Steve found the zone coverage of 3 — 1 and 4 — 1 more stifling than anything the opposing 150# football teams could muster. Their gang-tackling was unlike anything seen on the common gridiron. Not one to let academics get him down, Kap had a two minute drill (14 - 16 wks) that was unstoppable. All he wanted to do was work with people. Instead it seemed that the board of governors wanted to work on him. His good intentions and desire to win were two qualities which weren't striper prerequisites. He always did look better with eagles anyway! The biggest play in Kap's career has taken four years to develop. He has taken the flanker screen and eluded three would be tacklers (Lem, Deke — Jaws), Kap sees the daylight but there is one defender left — #76 — surface line. A shoe string tackle here could be a sad ending to a fine career.

Loss

Steven was lost when his F-4 collided with another over the Atlantic Ocean on the night of January 2, 1980. He served with MAG-31 "Shamrocks" and was based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. Three other officers were lost in the collision. Both aircraft belonged to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 333.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Steven graduated in 1972 from Griffith High School, Indiana. Football (quarterback) 2-4, captain 4; Basketball 2; Track 2-4; Lettermen 3, 4, secretary 4; Student Council 2; Honor Society 3, 4; Boys State.
In the All-School Science Exhibit in May 1972, Steven won second place in the Senior High School division for “Heterogeneous Phase Equilibria.”
He married Kathleen Ester Smith on June 19, 1976.

The Times had previously reported on December 3, 1978 that Steven was designated a Naval Flight Officer after completing the Radar Intercept Officer Course in Pensacola, Florida.

From The Times (Munster, Indiana), on January 8, 1980:

Steven A. Kapitan, age 25, of Griffith, was officially declared dead, January 2, 1980. He was a crew member of an F-4 Phantom which failed to return from a mission over the Atlantic Ocean. Survivors: wife, Kathleen, of Beaufort, South Carolina; parents, Mr. and Mrs. Julius Kapitan of Griffith; two brothers, Robert Kapitan at Kansas State University, and David Kapitan, who lives at home In Griffith.
Memorial services will be held at the Marine Corp Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina, Tuesday, January 8, 3 p.m. He was a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps; a naval flight officer; a 1972 graduate of Griffith High School; and a 1976 graduate of the United States Naval Academy.

He has a memory marker in Florida.

Photographs

All photographs from his high school yearbook.

"To get acceptable results from his IR project, Steve Kapitan concentrates on the amount of sodium hydroxide he is titrating against the acetic acid in an erlenmeyer flask."
"Over the top of a Steve Kapitan body tackle, an East Gary runner lunges for extra yardage with Dave McComish clinging to his waist."