Introduction
Young college students, all Navy midshipmen, many of whom were teenagers, were injured or lost
their lives in a fiery plane crash near Milton, Florida on July 17, 1953. There were 41 casualties
among the passengers and crew. The midshipmen victims had just completed a three-week familiarization
course in naval aviation at NAS, Cabaniss Field and NAAS Kingsville. For many of them, it
was their first time in an airplane. There were 40 Naval ROTC men and six Marine crewmen aboard
the R4Q Fairchild Packet plane (the Marine version of the C119 Flying Boxcar) which was regularly
attached to the 2nd Marine Air Wing based at Cherry Point, North Carolina. All the ROTC men
were college students, in their sophomore and junior years and from many states. As part of
their reserve work they are required to take six weeks summer training at naval installations in
Corpus Christi and Norfolk. Altogether, 1,600 ROTC men are taking part in this summer's program,
half of them at Corpus Christi and half at Norfolk.
At the end of three weeks, the 800 at Norfolk and 800 at Corpus Christi swapped bases for the final
three weeks. The group which had stopped at Whiting was half of the 800 being flown to Norfolk.
Part of a flight of five transports ferrying the NROTC men from Corpus Christi, Texas to Norfolk,
Virginia, for another phase of their six-week summer training program, the cargo plane had left
from a refueling stop at Whiting Field minutes before it crashed on a farm near Pensacola and burst
into flames. It crashed into a group of trees 0.75
miles past the runway end, hit three parked cars, and then plowed into a
barn on the Ray Allen farm. Navy rescue teams found six survivors, but one died en-route to
a hospital. Three others died a few days later.
The public is invited to contribute to this page of the Korean War Educator by contacting Lynnita
Brown (lynnita@thekwe.org). Tributes to the passengers
and crew members are welcome.
Survivors
- Graff, Capt. Charles E. - pilot, Morehead City, North Carolina (critical condition).
He died
July 18, 1953 and is buried in Crescent Cemetery, Crescent, Oklahoma.
- Maggard, Thomas F. - Navy ROTC, son of Mrs. Frank Maggard, Kansas City, Missouri, student
at the University of Utah (critical condition).
He died July 26, 1953.
- Scott, Dale E. - NROTC, serious, son of Col. C. D. Scott, East Lansing, Michigan, student
at University of Oklahoma (serious condition).
He died July 22, 1953.
- Tuttle, Cpl. J.P. - USMC, son of Jerome W. Tuttle, Chaumont, New York, crew member (serious
condition)/Buried in Peoples Cemetery, Woodward, Iowa. He died September 14, 1994.
- Weidler, Jay Benoir, Jr. - NROTC, student, son of Jay B. Weidler, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, student at Rice Institute (serious condition).
He died November 17, 2019. [See the Tributes
section of this page.]
[KWE Note: A message on the internet by T.G. Lilly stated: "Three of the initial
five survivors died several days later in the Pensacola Naval Hospital: Dale E. Scott, a student
at the University of Oklahoma, died on Wednesday, July 22, 1953; Captain C. E. Graff died the following
day; and Thomas F. Maggard, a student at the University of Utah, died on Sunday, July 26, 1953.
The only survivors were Corporal Jerome Tuttle, navigator, and midshipman Jay B. Weidler, Jr., of
Rice Institute."]
The ten NROTC midshipmen from Rice Institute were
honored with a plaque in the Rice Memorial Center in
2005. The plaque was designed by classmate and
architect John Joiner. Further information and
photographs of the Rice midshipmen can be found in the
Volume II, No. 3, Fall 2006 issue of The Cornerstone
newsletter of the Rice Historical Society. The
article was written by Mary S. Dix.
Fatalities
Crew Members:
- Farley, TSgt. Jerome L. - husband of Shirley J. Farley, Fort Macon Village,
North Carolina/Died July 17, 1953/Buried in St. Jerome's Cemetery, Columbus, Wisconsin.
- Lyons, Sgt. Ned Joseph - husband of Shirley M. Lyons, Kokomo, Indiana/Buried
in Sunset Memory Garden, Kokomo, Indiana. Died July 17, 1953. Born August 1, 1930 in Kokomo,
Indiana, he was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lyons. His wife was Shirley M. Downhour
Lyons (1930-2002). They were married in 1948. Ned joined the United States Marine
Corps on January 17, 1951. His brother was Larry Lyons.
- Sabel, MSgt. David L. - husband of Anita Sabel, 535-B Marine Corps Air
Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina/buried in Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, Section P,
Site 1734, San Diego, California. Died July 18, 1953.
- Yoder, Capt. Grady L. - co-pilot, husband of Martha L. Yoder, Havelock,
North Carolina/Buried in Grace Lutheran Cemetery, Newton, North Carolina. Died July 18,
1953.
Passengers:
- Bailey, Edward Lee Jr. - son of Maggie J. Nicol
(1905-1993), Webster, Texas,
student at Rice Institute. His goal was to
become a chaplain.
- Bates, Eldred Donor Jr. - Born June 24, 1933, he was the son of Eldred
Donor Bates Sr. and Mrs. Augusta Bates Meyer, Norman, Oklahoma. He was a student at the
University of Oklahoma. He is buried in the IOOF Cemetery, Norman.
- Biles, William R. "Billy" - son of William Ray Biles
(1906-1982) and Irene L. Biles (1911-2003), Springfield, Missouri, student
at University of Missouri. Born July 2, 1931,
Bill is buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens
Cemetery, Springfield, Missouri.,
- Caldwell, Frank McFaden - son of Lawrence C. Caldwell, Richmond, Virginia, student
at Rice Institute. He was a member of the Rice
golf team and had just graduated with a major in
physics.
- Clayton, Edward R. - son of Arthur E. Clayton, Park Ridge, Illinois, student
at Rice Institute. He was an economics major.
- Coyle, George W. Jr. - son of George W. Coyle
Sr. (1903-1981) and Lucile K. "Lucy" Kline Coyle
(1907-1994), Maplewood, Louisiana, student
at Rice Institute. George Jr. was born in 1932
and is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Coffeyville,
Kansas. He was in his junior year in business
administration.
- Daniel, Raymond Archie - son of Archie
Washington Daniel (1991-1940) and Amy Lorena Mosley Daniel
(1908-1994), Houston, student at Rice
Institute. Born July 08, 1931 in Waco, Texas,
he is buried in Forest Park Cemetery, Houston,
Texas. It is possible that Raymond had a
sister named Mary Elizabeth Ann Daniel, but the KWE
has not confirmed this. He was a graduate of
Houston's John H. Reagan High School, had already
received his ensign's commission, and planned to
return to Rice for a master's in electrical
engineering before his Navy duty.
- Dickson, Robert Kay Marshall - son of Robert Charles
Dickson, El Paso, student at Rice Institute.
Born August 20, 1934, he is buried in Fort Bliss
National Cemetery, El Paso, Texas. He was a junior
in electrical engineering.
- Elston, Wallis C. - son of Herbert Elston, Houston, student at Rice Institute.
His family moved to Houston when he was a teenager.
He wanted to enter medical school.
- Fahrenkamp, Emil Edmund - son of Emil Edmund and
Thelma Mann Fahrenkamp, Fort Worth, University
of Oklahoma. He was born April 28, 1934 in Big
Spring, Texas and was the Fahrenkamp's only child.
He is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park and
Mausoleum, Fort Worth, Texas.
- Heddleson, Charles Stewart - son of Warren Floyd Heddleson
(1913-1976) and Fanchon Stewart Heddleson
(1912-2002), Oklahoma City, student
at University of Oklahoma. Born May 17, 1933,
he is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma. His sister was Margaret Nell
Heddleson Harvey (1938-1990).
- Hughes, John Paul - son of W. T. Hughes, Oklahoma City, student at University
of Oklahoma. Born February 23, 1933, he is
buried in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens Cemetery,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- Kingen, James J. - brother of John H. Kingen (?), Tarrytown, New York, student
at University of Oklahoma. James was born June
18, 1932, a son of James Joseph Kingen II
(1898-1923) and Grace Nolan Kingen (1898-1932).
He is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy
Hollow, New York.
- Lulow, Roy Verl Jr. - son of Roy Verl Lulow Sr., Tulsa, Oklahoma.
A student at University
of Oklahoma, he was born May 5, 1932. He is
buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Mills, Billy Everette - son of Mrs. Everett Mills, Wayne, Oklahoma.
A student at
University of Oklahoma, he was born March 12, 1933.
He is buried in Hillside Cemetery, Purcell,
Oklahoma.
- Munkres, James L. - son of Ray Riley Munkres
(1901-1988) and Ethel Butcher Munkes (1905-1991), Enid, Oklahoma.
A student at University
of Oklahoma, he was born September 30, 1932.
He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Enid.
- Phillips, Ted G. - son of Harold E. Phillips
(1908-1972) and Rebecca C. Phillips (1909-1998), Oklahoma City, student at University
of Oklahoma. Born July 29, 1929, Ted is buried
in Rosemound Cemetery, Medford, Oklahoma.
- Prentiss, George Henry Jr. - son of George Henry
Prentiss Sr. (1895-1959) and Martha K. Prentiss
(1895-1973), Muskogee, Oklahoma. A student at University of Oklahoma,
he was born January 18, 1934. He is buried in
Memorial Park Cemetery, Muskogee, Oklahoma.
- Raibourn, James Paul - son of Claude Raibourn
(1895-1987), Sarasota, Florida, student
at University of Oklahoma. James' brother was
Gerald Robert Raibourn (1935-1994). James Paul
was born June 06, 1933 and is buried in Barrancas
National Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida.
- Rhyne, Robert E. - son of Mrs. Marvel F. (Martha
M. Hogan) Rhyne, Fort Smith, Arkansas, student
at University of Oklahoma. Marvel Rhyne was
born 1897 and died in 1972. Martha Rhyne was
born in 1906 and died in 1990.
- Richardson, Robert Eugene - son of Howard Eugene Richardson
(1908-1977) and Maud Dare Richardson (1914-2013), Brookhaven, Mississippi,
student at University of Oklahoma. Robert was
born on August 10, 1933 and is buried in Rose Hill
Cemetery, Brookhaven, Mississippi.
- Rushing, John Blair - son of Mrs. Mabel Elisabeth Hill Rushing (1911-1999),
Chandler, Oklahoma, student at University of Oklahoma. He was survived by his mother and
his sister, Mrs. L.P. (JoAnn) Melton Jr. (1929-2006). Born September 1, 1933 in Oklahoma,
John is buried in Oak Park Cemetery, Chandler, Oklahoma.
- Schleiff, Richard Wesley - son of Mrs. W. T. Schleiff, Fort Smith, Arkansas,
student at University of Oklahoma. Born August 7, 1931, he is buried in Fort Smith National
Cemetery, Fort Smith, Arkansas.
- Schwaebe, George F. - son of George E. Schwaebe
(1903-1982) and Marie H. Thieme Schwaebe (1904-1992), St. Louis, Missouri, student
at University of Missouri. George F. was also
survived by his sister Mollyanne Marie (Mrs. William
C. Love) (1934-2015).
- Smith, David R. - son of Kathleen Phillips, Blanchard, Oklahoma, student
at University of Oklahoma
- Smith, Gordon Hedley - son of Hedley F.
Smith (1898-1977), Tulsa, Oklahoma, student at University of Oklahoma. He was born March 21,
1933 and is buried in Rose Hill Memorial Park,
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Smith, Lee Wayne - son of Laurence M. Smith, Oklahoma City, student at University
of Oklahoma. He was born August 22, 1933 and
is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma.
- Smith, Lloyd Mozley - son of Myles Frederick Smith
(1890-1986) and Grace Drabek Smith (1896-1986), Oklahoma City, student at University
of Oklahoma. Born January 29, 1933, Lloyd was the
brother of Mrs. Cleta John (Mary Myles Smith)
Rogers. He is buried in Memorial Park
Cemetery, Oklahoma City.
- Stafford, James Collins Jr. - son of James
Collins Stafford Sr. (1909-1964) and Ernestine May
Stafford (1912-1996), Oklahoma City, student
at University of Oklahoma. He was born
February 3, 1933 and is buried in Greenhill
Cemetery, Muskogee, Oklahoma.
- Starr, Kenneth Ray - son of Eldridge R. Starr, Hobart, Oklahoma, student
at University of Oklahoma. He was born in 1931
and is buried in Hobart Rose Cemetery, Hobart.
- Stricklin, Darrell E. - son of O. M. Stricklin, Norman, Oklahoma, student
at University of Oklahoma. He was born April
12, 1933 and is buried in the IOOF Cemetery, Norman.
- Russell, Jerald Robin - son of J. A. Russell, Orland, California, student
at Oregon State College. He was born August
24, 1932 and is buried in Arlington National
Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
- Sheets, Dennis M. - son of Mrs. Orville V. Sheets, Portland, Oregon, student
at University of Oregon
- Tracy, Elwood A. - son of Mr. Charles Harrison
Tracy (1915-1997) and Mrs. C.H. Tracy, Klamath Falls, Oregon, student
at Oregon State College. His fiancee was
Darlene Gortmaker, who later married Gerald Edward
Dwight in 1957. [See Tributes
section.]
- Wilson, Bowden W. Jr. - son of Bowden W. Wilson, Sr.
(1902-1976) and Evelyn Genevieve Conrads Wilson
(1899-1976), San Antonio, student
at Rice Institute. Born July 12, 1933, Bowden
Jr. is buried in Mission Burial Park South, San
Antonio, Texas. He was a junior in chemical
engineering.
- Wohn, William W. - son of Bill and Francis J. Wohn, Houston, student at Rice Institute.
The press described him as "pint-sized basketball
guard". He had been on Lamar High School's
1951 championship team and continued to star at
Rice. He planned to make the naval air arm his
career.
- Wright, Allen L. - Born March 18, 1933, he was
the son of Allen P. Wright, Sweetwater, Tennessee.
A student at Rice, he was expected to transfer to
Georgia Tech at the beginning of his junior year.
That year Rice had an outstanding basketball team
that ended the season at play-offs in Madison Square
Garden in New York City. He is buried in Lynnhurst
Cemetery, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tributes to the Fatalities and Survivors
Tracy, Elwood A. -
Born in Klamath Falls (Oregon) on July 24, 1932, Elwood Tracy became a scholarship honor
student at Klamath Union High School. As a senior majoring in engineering at Oregon State College,
he was in the Reserve Officers Training Corp rated as a midshipman. Tracy was taking part in
an ROTC summer training course in Florida when he lost his life in the crash of a marine cargo
plane. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Whiting Field, near Milton, Fla. He was
among 41 reservists and crewmen killed in the crash. He was 20 at the time of his death. His
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Tracy, of Klamath Falls, were informed of their son's death.
He was also survived by two brothers, one sister, and his fiancee, Darlene Gortmaker. He was
buried with full military honors at Willamette National Cemetery, Portland. [KWE Note: Source
- Klamath County, Oregon website]
Weidler, Jay Benoir Jr.
Jay Benoir Weidler, Jr., 86, of Brenham, Texas on
November 17, 2019. He was born May 27, 1933 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Emma Dorothy (Stalker)
Weidler and Jay Benoir Weidler, Sr. (b. 3-8-1901; d.
6-22-1969 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
Jay grew up in Philadelphia, attended Central High
School (196th graduating class), and left for Rice
Institute in Houston, Texas in 1951. He joined the
Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (N.R.O.T.C.)
and tragically was one of the only survivors of a
plane crash occurring shortly after midnight on July
17, 1953 in Pensacola, Florida as part of midshipman
amphibious training.
After recovering from his injuries at home in
Philadelphia, he returned to college for his junior
year. He graduated from Rice Institute in 1956 with
a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree
in civil engineering. He then served in the Marine
Corps, as an Engineering Officer ending with a rank
of First Lieutenant. He was honorably discharged
from the Marine Corps in 1959 and from the reserves
in 1964.
He returned to Rice in 1959 for graduate school,
earning a Masters in Science in 1961 and a Doctor of
Philosophy in 1965 in civil engineering, followed by
postdoctoral work at Brown University in Providence,
Rhode Island from 1965 to 1968. He left academia and
returned to Houston in 1969 to join Brown & Root,
Inc. and rose to Senior Vice President, Chief Marine
Engineer and Director of Technology, semi-retiring
in 2000, and fully retiring in 2004 after consulting
part-time.
Dr. Weidler had over 45 years of engineering
experience in the military, academic, and industrial
fields. He authored or co-authored 26 technical
papers and held five patents. Weidler's
accomplishments included the design, fabrication and
installation of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port,
which received the ASCE Outstanding Civil
Engineering Achievement Award in 1982. In 1995, Jay
was the Offshore Technology Conference recipient of
the Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals
for significant leadership in the application of
structural engineering concepts and approaches that
allowed the safe and economic development in
challenging offshore areas worldwide, including the
Gulf of Mexico, North Slope and Cook Inlet, Alaska,
and the North Sea. Also in 1995, he was awarded the
American Society of Civil Engineers John G. Moffatt-Frank
E. Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award. He
was inducted in 1998 to the Offshore Pioneers Hall
Fame as a charter member at the Offshore Energy
Center in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Weidler was a
two-term member of the Rice University Alumni Board,
an initial Chairman of Industry Advisory Board for
the University of Texas/ Texas A&M University for
the establishment of the Offshore Technology
Research Center, 1988-1990. Jay was also on the
Board of Trustees of the Southwest Research
Institute, served as Brown & Root representative to
the American Petroleum Institute Committee Two,
Committee for Standardization of Offshore Structures
and was active on numerous subcommittees, work
groups as a member and/ or chairman for over
twenty-five years.
Jay married Mary Hughston "Mary Hugh" Patrick in
1961 in Houston, Texas. Jay is survived by: his
wife, Mary, his daughters, Teresa Weidler and Julia
Hall Weidler; his son and daughter-in-law, John
Benoir Weidler and Christine Elizabeth Edwards; his
grandchildren, Jodie Olivia Tokumoto; Sean Mareo
Tokumoto; Joseph Thomas Weidler; and Elise Catherine
Weidler; Jay's younger sister, Phyllis Jane (Weidler)
Gilbert; and his three nephews and their wives:
Samuel Vanderpoel Gilbert IV (wife Kristine), Jay
Benoir Gilbert (wife Marti), and Geoffrey Calderwood
Gilbert (wife Jennifer), and their children .
Jay was preceded in death by: his parents, his
grandchild, Corinne Elizabeth Weidler; his
brother-in-law, Samuel Vanderpoel Gilbert III; his
aunts, Phyllis Edith Stalker; Jessie Apoline (Weidler)
Oberholtzer; Jane Groff (Weidler) Blizzard; his
uncles, Robert Dobson Stalker; William John Stalker,
Jr.; Edward Dale Stalker; Joseph Grier Weidler; John
Alford Weidler; James Theodore Weidler; Grier Lud
Orth Weidler, Jr.; and his grandparents, Grier Lud
Orth Weidler, Sr.; Jessie Apoline (Bennor) Weidler;
William John Stalker, Sr.; Emma Dorothy (Hall)
Stalker; his father-in-law, William Lester Patrick;
and mother-in-law, Julia Emma (Taylor) Patrick.
A funeral service at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in
Brenham, Texas. Memorial Oaks Chapel – Brenham
had charge of arrangements. [Source: Findagrave]
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