WILLIAM J. SISKO, LT, USN
William Sisko '31
Lucky Bag
From the 1931 Lucky Bag:
William John Sisko
Pontiac, Michigan
"Bill" "Cheska" "Willie"
It was a sad blow to Bill when he left the wilds of Pontiac and entered the Academy, to find that he had to row a boat instead of drive one. However, he finally became used to that and other Naval eccentricities, and even learned to enjoy them.
Academics bothered him not at all; although having no starring aspirations, he threw a scare into the ranks of the "Savoirs" by lead—Second Class Steam for two months. Argue? No discussion was complete without his arguments. Either side or any side, right or wrong, just so he could talk. Not a "snake", but in his spare time he honored a hop or two with his presence, just to give the femmes a treat. Now singing is where Willie really shone; and although his ear for music is rather questionable, no phonograph records exist that he couldn't duplicate or surpass with a little effort.
With experience in High School and Pontiac Junior College, Michigan lost a good man when Bill decided that the Navy needed his support. A conscientious and willing worker, a real friend and a true Navy man, that's Bill.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1; Class Lacrosse 3, 2, 1; M. P. O.
William John Sisko
Pontiac, Michigan
"Bill" "Cheska" "Willie"
It was a sad blow to Bill when he left the wilds of Pontiac and entered the Academy, to find that he had to row a boat instead of drive one. However, he finally became used to that and other Naval eccentricities, and even learned to enjoy them.
Academics bothered him not at all; although having no starring aspirations, he threw a scare into the ranks of the "Savoirs" by lead—Second Class Steam for two months. Argue? No discussion was complete without his arguments. Either side or any side, right or wrong, just so he could talk. Not a "snake", but in his spare time he honored a hop or two with his presence, just to give the femmes a treat. Now singing is where Willie really shone; and although his ear for music is rather questionable, no phonograph records exist that he couldn't duplicate or surpass with a little effort.
With experience in High School and Pontiac Junior College, Michigan lost a good man when Bill decided that the Navy needed his support. A conscientious and willing worker, a real friend and a true Navy man, that's Bill.
Football 4, 3, 2, 1; Class Lacrosse 3, 2, 1; M. P. O.
Loss
William was lost when the plane he was piloting crashed into another in mid-air near Pensacola, Florida on August 20, 1941. Four other men were also lost. He was an instructor.
Biography
From researcher Kathy Franz:
William graduated from Pontiac Senior High School in 1926. He played football both junior and senior years, was President of the Upper House, and Vice President of Student Council. He was elected to the National Honor Society, was in Hi-Y, and participated in the Science Club.
As a junior, he played guard and was “aggressive and hard to stop.” As a senior at center, he “was one of the two veterans in the line. Offensively, his passes were accurate, his charge quick, powerful, and lasting. Defensively, he was shifty, covering not only the center position but backing up the whole line as well. Bill was able to diagnose the opposition quickly and was great at breaking up plays. He played between green material and yet, in spite of his smallness, he was a game and stellar mainstay in the line.”
William’s wife was Ina, and they had a daughter Anne born in 1932. In December 1939 they returned from Shanghai to Los Angeles aboard the S. S. President Taft.
Photographs
From his high school yearbook
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 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
July 1934
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg John Burgess '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
October 1934
LTjg Clair Miller '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Robert Haven '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
January 1935
LTjg Oscar Pate, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Clair Miller '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Robert Haven '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
April 1935
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Clair Miller '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
October 1935
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg James McRoberts '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
January 1936
LT James McDonough '24 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
LT Hallsted Hopping '24 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Ralph Smith '26 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
LTjg Seymour Johnson '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg James McRoberts '27 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Lorenz Forbes '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg William Freshour '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Alden Irons '31 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B)
LTjg Alfred Tucker, III '31 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 1B)
ENS William Widhelm '32 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 5B)
April 1936
LTjg John Duke '26
1LT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
LTjg Charles Mallory, Jr. '32
LTjg Joseph Loughlin, Jr. '32
July 1936
LTjg John Duke '26
CAPT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
LTjg Charles Crommelin '31
LTjg Albert Major, Jr. '32
January 1937
LT John Duke '26
CAPT Ernest Pollock '28
LTjg William Pennewill '29
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30
LTjg Lance Massey '30
1LT Harold Larson '31
LTjg Charles Crommelin '31
ENS Harold Von Weller '33
LTjg Burden Hastings '33
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
July 1938
January 1939
October 1939
June 1940
LT William Hank '25 (USS Saratoga)
LT Harrington Drake '31 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LT John Spiers '32 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg John Ennis '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
ENS Edward O'Hare '37 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
ENS Keene Hammond '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Norman White '39 (USS Saratoga)
November 1940
LTjg Jack Ferguson '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg Francis Maher, Jr. '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg John Ennis '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg Raymond Vogel, Jr. '36 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg Edward O'Hare '37 (Fighting Squadron (VF) 3)
LTjg Macdonald Thompson '37 (Torpedo Squadron (VT) 3)
LTjg Howard Nester, Jr. '37 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
ENS Norman White '39 (USS Saratoga)
April 1941
LT William Pennewill '29
LT Finley Hall '29
LT John Yoho '29
LT George Bellinger '32
LT Martin Koivisto '32
LT John Spiers '32
LT Archibald Greenlee '32
LT Daniel Gothie '32
LT Albert Major, Jr. '32
LTjg John McCormack, Jr. '33
LTjg John Phillips, Jr. '33
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
