Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1930 Lucky Bag:

BAYLIES VOORHEIS CLARK

B. V. McCloskey

B Squad 4, 3; 2 P.O.

ANOTHER boy from the Golden State of California. Like other native sons, he is always ready to expound on the wonders of that greatest of states, and especially on that super-city inside the Golden Gate. But B. V. is not content to rest on the laurels won by his state. As an individual, he seeks to enhance his nautical abilities so that he may be a credit to the Navy.

He has a hobby. Steam, the curse of his classmates, is his true love. It is a valuable aid to him, for the work he does in Isherwood Hall gives him a grasp and practical knowledge of Steam that has put him in the first section. Though not a savoir, his quick mind and retentive memory give him sufficient time for magazines and letter-writing. He is a valuable and willing company athlete besides having a berth on the B-squad.

His most lovable trait is a true generosity. He cannot say “No” to any plea, and his “big-heartedness” is free and sincere. His sunny good nature and friendly disposition make him a man to be happy with.

Loss

Baylies was killed during bombing practice over the Atlantic on May 23, 1941. He was the pilot; two other crew were aboard but survived. There was a problem with the aircraft, but he was able to maintain control long enough for his crewmen to bail out safely. One of them reported that “he was either unable to get out, or when he did, he was hit by part of the plane and knocked unconscious.”

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Baylies attended school in Sutter Creek and San Francisco.

He was married in 1930 to Adrienne Hedger Clark of San Francisco; he and his wife had three daughters, Leslie, Susan, and Sally. His wife was “socially prominent” (per the San Francisco Examiner on June 6, 1930) who had graduated Miss Burke’s School, then “finished her education at Lausanne, Switzerland, and the University of California.”

His father Baylies was a platinum mine superintendent at Morris Ravine and later city engineer in Sacramento. His mother was a California state PTA officer. His sister was Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Walter B. Gibbons) of Orinda, and his grandfather was the late Senator Edward C. Voorheis.

The Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, California) reported on October 24, 1936 that Adrienne had recently participated in a cross-country “air derby,” flying solo across the country to Hagerstown, Maryland. She finished 20 of 40 overall, but won “one lap and won $500.”

He had been a member of Scouting Squadron 71 since January 2, 1941; the squadron was embarked aboard USS Wasp (CV 7).

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.