Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1945 Lucky Bag:

Eugene Henry Spangler

Varsity Gym 4, 3, 1

“Have you fellows heard this one? It seems there was a traveling salesman—” Gene’s sense of humor(?) with its two-bell jokes kept the old Bancroft Hall routine from growing dull many times. He often and diligently indulged in his two favorite pastimes—gymnastics and his girl back home. Much given to resolutions Gene would daily remark, “Next week seems the start of the new regime, and this time I’m not fooling.” Three years in the fleet gave him a sound foundation for entering the Academy. When Gene leaves in June, his future shipmates will find a willing friend and brother officer. Academically “savvy” and physically on top, Gene’s only worry was how to spend his free time for the most fun.

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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

Gene was lost when his aircraft crashed on November 19, 1952:

Eugene H. Spangler, USN, husband of Mrs. Audrey Byerly Spangler, formerly of Woodcrest, has been missing since his plane went down in the Mediterranean Sea last Wednesday. Lieutenant Spangler, a career officer and an aviation instructor, was taking part in a cruise in the vicinity of Athens, Greece, when the accident occurred. No official news of the craft has been received since. He was a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy. Mrs. Spangler is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter O. Byerly, of 613 Tyrone Avenue. Woodcrest. Lieutenant and Mrs. Spangler, parents of three young children, had been living in Brigantine, near Atlantic City. He had been overseas since August. Formerly of Philadelphia, Lieutenant Spangler was graduated from Simon Gratz High School and enlisted in the Navy in 1938.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Eugene began his naval training at Newport, Rhode Island. In 1940, he was stationed in the Washington, D. C., Navy yard.

His father George was a timekeeper in an Ashland coal mine in 1930 who became an undertaking assistant in Philadelphia in 1940. His mother Ella died a year before Eugene.

He married Audrey Bertha Byerly on June 9, 1944, in Wilmington, Delaware.

Eugene earned his wings as a naval aviator in October 1946.

He was operating from USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV 42), but have been unable to find which squadron he was a part of.

He is buried in Delaware.

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George Webster ‘45, Benton Decker, Jr. ‘45, and Louis Schmeltzer ‘45 were also in 3rd Company.