Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1945 Lucky Bag:

Conrad Shamel Grove, Jr.

Lacrosse 4, 3, 7

To his more intimate friends, “Connie” is known as “Lefty” or “Lacrosse-Stick Grove.” Always ready for a party, his exceedingly high spirit more than upheld the morale of the 8th Company. He was a member of the Plebe Lacrosse Team, played a fair game of tennis and possessed much innate but dormant athletic ability. The Detroit Tigers are tops with “Lefty,” and it breaks his heart when they wind up in the second division. Happy, carefree, and never in want of friends or companions, he will make a successful officer in his chosen profession.

---

The Class of 1945 was graduated in June 1944 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.

Loss

From Find A Grave:

Married to Polly Marjorie Alderman, Ketterlinus High School, St. Augustine, FL, Class of 1943, in Jacksonville, FL on July 7, 1944. Conrad died in Wilmington, NC on March 17, 1945.

From the Tampa Bay Times on March 29, 1945:

DUNEDIN—Word has been received by friends in Dunedin and Clearwater of the death of Lt. Conrad S. Grove Jr., 22, at a military camp in North Carolina. Details have not been given, but it was reported that death was due to a mine explosion.

Lt, Grove was the son of Maj. and Mrs. C. S. Grove. Maj. Grove, USMC, was stationed in Dunedin at the marine base for about two years. They resided on Monroe street. He is now stationed at Camp Pendleton, Cal. Nevitt Grove, a brother of Lt. Grove, is taking the Navy V-12 program at the University of South Carolina. He attended the Clearwater high school.

Note

According to the September 1946 issue of Shipmate, he was “killed by a hand grenade” at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on April 2, 1945. (This date is wrong; newspaper reports of his death are several days earlier, and Find A Grave gives the date as March 17, 1945.)

Related Articles

Lloyd Wyatt, Jr. ‘45, Arthur Day ‘45, Robert Billings ‘45, James Dawley, Jr. ‘45, Jack Flanagan ‘45, Alfred Sawyer ‘45, Richard Hodsdon ‘45, and John Horn ‘45 were also in 8th Company.