WILLIAM S. PYE, JR., LT, USN

William Pye, Jr. '28

Date of birth: January 19, 1908

Date of death: September 30, 1938

Age: 30

Lucky Bag

From the 1928 Lucky Bag:

WILLIAM SATTERLEE PYE, JR.

At Large

"Bill" "Sat"

SAT, as his name implies, has never had any trouble with the Academic Department. He starred Plebe Year, and has stood well in the class ever since, although his study hours have been taken up chiefly by Lucky Bag work, informal entertainment committees and plans, and short story writing; these stories having been written mostly under the impulse of the moment. Occasionally he has been moved to write poetry for the Log, but these spasms are few and far between. Although he is not an athlete, he could hardly be called a member of the Radiator Club.

His highest attainments have been winning the hearts of certain members of the fair sex, masquerading, and organizing small jazz orchestras. In addition, he is quite an accomplished musician, being able to play almost any kind of a stringed instrument.

Several misinterpretations of the Little Blue Bible have awarded Bill the privilege of wearing a Black N with a small constellation of seven stars above it, but that only remains in his memory as days of pleasant rest and oblivion.

Gymkhana Cast (2); Chess Club (3, 2); Star (4); Masquerader Cast (2, 1); Class Tennis (4); Swimming Class (3, 2), Plebe Varsity, Numerals (4); Lucky Bag Staff (3, 2, 1); Class Baseball; Two Stripes.

WILLIAM SATTERLEE PYE, JR.

At Large

"Bill" "Sat"

SAT, as his name implies, has never had any trouble with the Academic Department. He starred Plebe Year, and has stood well in the class ever since, although his study hours have been taken up chiefly by Lucky Bag work, informal entertainment committees and plans, and short story writing; these stories having been written mostly under the impulse of the moment. Occasionally he has been moved to write poetry for the Log, but these spasms are few and far between. Although he is not an athlete, he could hardly be called a member of the Radiator Club.

His highest attainments have been winning the hearts of certain members of the fair sex, masquerading, and organizing small jazz orchestras. In addition, he is quite an accomplished musician, being able to play almost any kind of a stringed instrument.

Several misinterpretations of the Little Blue Bible have awarded Bill the privilege of wearing a Black N with a small constellation of seven stars above it, but that only remains in his memory as days of pleasant rest and oblivion.

Gymkhana Cast (2); Chess Club (3, 2); Star (4); Masquerader Cast (2, 1); Class Tennis (4); Swimming Class (3, 2), Plebe Varsity, Numerals (4); Lucky Bag Staff (3, 2, 1); Class Baseball; Two Stripes.

Loss

From Find A Grave:

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) W. S. Pye, USN, was designated Naval Aviator #3709 in 1930. Graduated U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1928.
Lieutenant Pye and Aviation Cadet Charles Frederick Erickson, USNR, members of Fighting Squadron (VF) Three, died when their carrier-based fighter aircraft, operating from the aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA (CV-3), collided off the So. Calif. coast. LT Pye's body was never recovered.
LT Pye's widow was the former Miss Della Douglass Pease.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Born in Maryland, William was the youngest member of the 1928 graduating class and finished seventeenth in the class of 175 members.
In the fall of 1929, William attended the Chemical Warfare School in Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland.
He married Delia Douglas Pease on November 7, 1933, in All Saints’ Church, Chevy Chase, Maryland. At the time, William was member of the Gibson Island Club and the Army and Navy Club of Washington. Their daughter was Lucinda, and their son Stephen was only three weeks old when his father died.
In March, 1936, William participated in The Navy Relief Show play entitled “The Drunkard.” Performances were held for Naval Academy officers, instructors, midshipmen and their guests.

William was one of five navy fliers who split a $100,000 grand prize offered in a nation-wide puzzle contest in August, 1937. William R. Staggs, cadet on the U. S. S. Ranger, won the $100,000 first prize in the Old Gold puzzle contest.
Per The San Bernardino County Sun, August 26, 1937: Staggs’ surprise was complete. . . . when he sufficiently recovered . . . he said he and four fellow fliers had entered the contest together. They submitted separate entries, and at the end of the contest all five were tied with perfect scores.
Each then was asked to submit a letter concerning the contest, and it was Stagg’s letter which won him the $100,000.
Two of the four who worked the puzzles with Staggs, as relaxation after strenuous hours of flying, were on hand to congratulate him as he pocketed the check.
They were Aviation Cadet C. Addision Pound, Jr., and Lieut. (JG) J. D. Lamade [(‘32)]. The other two who worked the puzzles with Staggs were Lieut. (JG) Joe Jaap [(’32)] and Lieut. (JG) W. E. Pye, Jr., son of Rear Admiral Pye of the Atlantic fleet.
[After taxes, Staggs pocketed $59,050].

William's father was a Vice Admiral and 1901 US Naval Academy graduate who retired with 44 years of service, including acting Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet and president of the Naval War College.

William has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery, with his brother, on their parent's headstone.

Photographs

From The Los Angeles Times on October 1, 1938

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.

October 1928

Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command:

LT Irving Wiltsie '21

ENS Joseph Flynn '27

Others at or embarked at this command:

ENS Warren Graf '27 (United States Fleet)

January 1929

Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command:

LT Irving Wiltsie '21

ENS Joseph Flynn '27

Others at or embarked at this command:

ENS Warren Graf '27 (United States Fleet)

April 1929

Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command:

LT Irving Wiltsie '21

ENS Joseph Flynn '27

Others at or embarked at this command:

ENS Warren Graf '27 (United States Fleet)

July 1929

Ensign, USS Texas

Others at this command:

LT Irving Wiltsie '21
ENS Joseph Flynn '27

ENS Edwin Martin '29

ENS John Collett '29

Others at or embarked at this command:

ENS Warren Graf '27 (United States Fleet)

October 1929

Ensign, USS Salt Lake City

Others at this command:

LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20

LTjg John Blue '25

January 1930

Ensign, USS Salt Lake City

Others at this command:

LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20

LTjg John Blue '25

October 1930

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 6S, USS Raleigh

January 1931

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 7S, USS Concord

April 1931

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 7S, USS Concord

July 1931

Ensign, Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 7S, USS Concord

Others at or embarked at USS Concord:

ENS Cleaveland Miller '29 (USS Concord)

October 1931

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Raleigh

Others at this command:

ENS George MacKenzie, Jr. '31

January 1932

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Raleigh

Others at this command:

ENS George MacKenzie, Jr. '31

April 1932

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Raleigh

October 1932

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Raleigh

Others at this command:

ENS Claud Hughes '30

ENS George MacKenzie, Jr. '31

January 1933

Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Raleigh

Others at this command:

ENS Claud Hughes '30

ENS George MacKenzie, Jr. '31

April 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

July 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

CDR James Logan '10 (Post Graduate School, Naval Academy)

October 1934

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

CDR James Logan '10 (Post Graduate School, Naval Academy)

January 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

CDR James Logan '10 (Post Graduate School, Naval Academy)

April 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

CDR James Logan '10 (Post Graduate School, Naval Academy)

October 1935

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

CDR James Logan '10 (Post Graduate School, Naval Academy)

1LT John Heil '28 (Receiving Ship)

January 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

CDR James Logan '10 (Post Graduate School, Naval Academy)

1LT John Heil '28 (Receiving Ship)

April 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Naval Academy

Others at this command:

Others at or embarked at this command:

CDR James Logan '10 (Post Graduate School, Naval Academy)

1LT John Heil '28 (Receiving Ship)

July 1936

Lieutenant (j.g.), Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg Leonard Southerland '27
LTjg Ford Wallace '31

LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31

LTjg George Bellinger '32

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT Charles McDonald '24 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Elmer Cooper '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LTjg John Collett '29 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Lloyd Greenamyer '29 (Aircraft Squadrons)

LTjg Finley Hall '29 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LTjg Edward Blessman '31 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Wendell Froling '34 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)

January 1937

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg Leonard Southerland '27
LTjg Ford Wallace '31

LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31

LTjg George Bellinger '32

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LCDR Dixie Kiefer '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)

LTjg John Collett '29 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)

April 1937

Lieutenant, Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 6B, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LT Leonard Southerland '27
LTjg Ford Wallace '31

LTjg Thomas Ashworth, Jr. '31

LTjg George Bellinger '32

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LCDR Dixie Kiefer '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LCDR John Gillon '20 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 2B)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Richard Moss '24 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)

LTjg John Collett '29 (Torpedo Plane Squadron (VT) 2B)
LTjg Clarence Kasparek '32 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 4B)
LTjg Albert Gates, Jr. '32 (USS Saratoga)
LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 2B)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)

September 1937

Lieutenant, Fighting Squadron (VF) 3, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg George Bellinger '32

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LCDR Dixie Kiefer '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LCDR Irving Wiltsie '21 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (USS Saratoga)
LT Weldon Hamilton '28 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)

LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Riley '37 (USS Saratoga)
ENS William Mason, Jr. '37 (USS Saratoga)

January 1938

Lieutenant, Fighting Squadron (VF) 3, USS Saratoga

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LCDR Dixie Kiefer '19 (Aircraft Squadrons)
LCDR Irving Wiltsie '21 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (USS Saratoga)
LT Weldon Hamilton '28 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)

LTjg Edwin Hurst '32 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
ENS Maurice Fitzgerald '35 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Paul Riley '37 (USS Saratoga)
ENS William Mason, Jr. '37 (USS Saratoga)

July 1938

Lieutenant, Fighting Squadron (VF) 3, USS Saratoga

Others at this command:

LTjg John Spiers '32

LTjg Albert Major, Jr. '32

Others at or embarked at USS Saratoga:

LCDR Irving Wiltsie '21 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LT John Waldron '24 (USS Saratoga)
LT Gerald Dyson '27 (USS Saratoga)
LT John Yoho '29 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg James Reilly '32 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
LTjg George Nicol '34 (Scouting Squadron (VS) 3)
ENS David Taylor, Jr. '35 (Bombing Squadron (VB) 3)
ENS William Hulson '36 (Aircraft, Battle Force)

ENS Paul Riley '37 (USS Saratoga)
ENS William Mason, Jr. '37 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Black '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Osborne Wiseman '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS John Smith '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Keene Hammond '38 (USS Saratoga)
ENS Vincent Sim '38 (USS Saratoga)

Class of 1928

William is one of 17 members of the Class of 1928 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

← Robert Pierce '28

Julian Leggett '28 →

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.

WILLIAM S. PYE, JR., LT, USN

William Pye, Jr. '28

Lucky Bag

WILLIAM SATTERLEE PYE, JR.

WILLIAM SATTERLEE PYE, JR.

Loss

Other Information

Photographs

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