Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1941 Lucky Bag:

THOMAS HARDY GRAHAM

Football 4, 3, 2, 1 NA; Hop Committee

“T. H.” was born in Kenbridge, Virginia, and ever since then has been stopping the clock with his lengthy drawl. At three he saw a sound movie entitled “Annapolis Forever” or the “Rover Boys on the Severn” and he then immediately decided to become a genuine tar. His cheery pan netted him the presidency of his freshman class. The first year, of the two, he spent acquiring knowledge at the University of Richmond. The second he spent tearing down the reputation of Phi Kappa Sigma. His greatest hobbies are a lively game of cards, sub squad, or a drill on his “Beauty Rest.” He miraculously escapes reports, never writes letters but receives plenty of mail, and thus leads a happy life. It may be said that, excepting the cruise, “T. H.” didn’t fully appreciate youngster year, but second class summer brought a new light into his life and sold him on the Navy for good. Taking a keen interest in everything nautical and with a quick smile and winning personality, Tom will go a long way.

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The Class of 1941 was the first of the wartime-accelerated classes, graduating in February 1941.

Loss

Thomas died of injuries received four days earlier in a plane crash near Martinsburg, Iowa. He was in flight training at an air station in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

At the University of Richmond, he played football, track, boxing and baseball.

His brother Lyle played professional football with the Philadelphia Eagles (1941.) He was a candidate for the air station’s football team.

Thomas’ two brothers, Samuel and Louis Graham, also served in the Navy during World War II. His brother, LT Samuel Lyle Graham III, was severely wounded during the war.

Thomas is buried in Westview Cemetery, in Farmville, VA.

The VFW post in Farmville, Virginia is named after Thomas.

Photographs

From the yearbook of the University of Richmond, 1937

From Richmond Times Dispatch on January 30, 1945

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.