Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1948 Lucky Bag:

Daniel Joseph Connolly

Quiet, likeable, humorous, always smiling. Con was one of the lucky few able to take Academy life with little strain. Constantly willing to help his classmates and a big brother to all plebes, Dan’s host of friends was innumerable. We will always remember Con for his easy acceptance of bricks, ability to see four movies a week end, and a lasting love for his sack. Able at bridge, a congenial partner at handball or tennis, a willing participant of a touch football game; he should get along anywhere. Two weeks away from a reserve commission in the Naval Air Corps when he entered, his choice after graduation will undoubtedly be aviation.

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He graduated with the class of 1948-A, the last of the wartime-accelerated classes, in June 1947. (The bottom half of the class by academic standing, designated 1948-B, completed an extra year and graduated in June 1948.)

Loss

Daniel was killed when his F4U-5 Corsair exploded during rocket practice off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida on July 26, 1951.

He was a member of Fighter Squadron (VF) 174, possibly operating from USS Midway (CVA 41). (The squadron had returned to Jacksonville in January 1951 aboard USS Coral Sea (CVB 43), was aboard Midway in the summer, then deployed aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA 42) in September 1951.)

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

A newspaper (Rutland Daily Herald, July 27, 1951) reported that Daniel’s plane exploded during rocket bombing practice near Jacksonville, Florida on July 26, 1951. A Navy ordnanceman working at the range said his plane appeared to explode about 700 feet in the air. The wreckage was spread over an area equal to about five city blocks.

Daniel graduated from Central Catholic high School, probably in 1942. He and his brother Edward are mentioned as alumni in the 1945 yearbook.

Daniel enlisted in the Navy on December 11, 1942. He was buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Daniel’s father was Edward, a plumbing inspector for the City of Lawrence. His mother was Pauline, brothers Joseph and Edward, and sisters Margaret and Ilene.

On March 22, 1950 he crashed near NAAS Corry Field, Pensacola, Florida while flying a F4U-4 Corsair with Carrier Qualification Training Unit (CQTU) 4.

He is buried in Massachusetts.

Photographs

From page 79 of the USS Coral Sea (CVB 43)'s 1951 cruise book.

Related Articles

Robert Searle ‘48 and Wayne McCord ‘48 were also in 8th Company.

John Borbidge ‘46 was his squadron mate for at least a year — they were together for the previous deployment — and was lost a few months after Daniel.

Memorial Hall Error

Daniel is not listed with his classmates in Memorial Hall. This omission was discovered by researcher Kathy Franz.