Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1955 Lucky Bag:

ROBERT FRANKLIN CONSTANS

At 1300, 2 July 1951, Navy claimed another college man. A member of the class of ‘53 at UCLA, Bob decided to start all over and found that Academy life agreed with him — almost. Academics never were a problem; so he tried his hand at various company sports, Varsity swimming, and he was editor of the Trident Calendar. Never one to clutch after the formation bell had rung, Bob always managed to beat out the late bell. Bob will make the service his career if he likes it after the first thirty years.

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He was also a member of the 6th Company staff (winter).

Loss

Bob was killed when he ejected from an F-3H Demon on October 21, 1960; his engine flamed out during takeoff. He was a member of VF-114 Executioners, deployed on USS Hancock (CVA 19) operating in the South China Sea.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

The body was not recovered because of the heavy seas. Eyewitnesses said he became entangled in his parachute when he attempted to eject.

Robert graduated in 1949 from South Pasadena High School where he was on the track team.

He studied for two years at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta and also played on the freshman water polo team.

On November 30, 1956, Robert graduated from Navy Pre-Flight School at Pensacola.

On August 12, 1957, he qualified in naval gunnery and as a naval carrier flier at Barin Field Naval Auxiliary Air Station in Foley, Alabama. He made six landings aboard the support aircraft carrier USS Antietam in the Gulf of Mexico.

He then underwent advanced flight training in Kingsville, Texas, where he was awarded his Wings of Gold.

On December 28, 1958, he married Traute Bicke when he was stationed at San Diego.

He was also survived by his father Robert, a lumber salesman, mother Edith, brother John, and sister Virginia. In 1969, John was a Lt(jg) in the Navy.

Robert’s Find A Grave page is here.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

From the 1950 UCLA yearbook

From his high school yearbook

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Alan Lewis ‘55 was also on the Trident Calendar.