Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1948 Lucky Bag:

IAN NIARN FRASER

Scotty is looking forward to duty aboard Old Ironsides . . . it’s the only ship left in the Navy with sails, and if a ship doesn’t have sails . . . Scotty just won’t be at home. Academics were merely. something that broke up sailing trips … he did fine with them, but they kept him off the bounding bay most of the week. Scotty’s sunburn lasted from early April to late September … it made his freckles stand out like Diamond Shoal lightship … he ruined many a drag’s complexion . . . but none of them seemed to mind. A charter member of the Hellcats. . . Scotty blew a mean bugle until 1/c year, when he traded the bugle in for the whistle that went with the Corps’ 3 striper outfit. Even in athletics, the laddy wouldn’t leave his beloved water . . . swimming and water polo filled the days when the yawls were laid up. During first class year he fought the inevitable conflict of yawls vs. football. Sometimes our understanding failed us . . . imagine giving up two weeks of leave to sail the “Vamarie” to Bermuda … or a Saturday morning inspection when he had a kitten in his confidential locker. Yet, he was not to be dismayed by the never ending system.

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Ian was a member of the Hop Committee, commanded 3rd Company in both the winter and spring, was Vice Commodore of the Boat Club, and was on the 150 Pound Football team. Recipient of an Athletic Association Award: A Cup on which is inscribed the name of the company winning the Inter-Company Athletic Competition of the current academic year. The presentation of this award is made to the midshipman company commander of the winning company. Recipient: 3rd Company. Midshipman Ian Nairn Fraser, 1st Class.

He graduated from the 3rd Company with the class of 1948-B in June 1948. (The top half of the class academically, designated 1948-A, graduated in June 1947 as the last wartime-accelerated class.)

Loss

Ian was lost on May 6, 1953 when his A-1D Skyraider crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New Jersey. He has a memory marker in New York.

From the October 1954 issue of Shipmate:

Scotty went directly to flight training after graduation. He was killed in a night flying accident while with Composite Squadron 33 in USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, on 6 May 1953. He was highly praise for his ability and devotion to duty by his commanding officer in a letter which appeared in this column in the September 1953 issue. He was survived by his wife, Patricia, and their [one year old] daughter, Carol George.

He had been a member of the squadron for almost three years. The loss was presumed to be due to vertigo.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In March 1942, Ian did the off-stage sound effects for the play “Aunt Susie Shoots the Works,” at the Waverly First Presbyterian Church. He graduated in June from Waverly High School.

Ian then attended Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey. He was a member of the glee club, the 200-yard free-style relay team, and member and secretary-treasurer of the concert orchestra. He graduated in June 1943, and earned a silver key for his membership in the orchestra and glee club.

He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Louisville University. He took V-12 examinations for naval training. In November 1943, he was named alternate to the Naval Academy by Rep. W. Sterling Cole.

Ian earned his wings at Pensacola. He had a tour of duty aboard the USS Midway as a night fighter pilot in 1950.

He married Patricia Joan Torson on Christmas Eve, 1950, in the Waverly First Presbyterian Church. At the time, Ian was stationed in Atlantic City.

In 1940, his father Robert was an engine inspector on the steam railroad in Waverly, mother Katharine, (both born in Scotland), and brothers were listed in the census as “John” and Robert Jr. Their mother died in 1957.

Photographs

1948-B 3rd Company

1948-B Boat Club Leadership

Related Articles

Hubert Loheed ‘48 and Ralph Brown, Jr. ‘48 were also all members of the Boat Club. Hubert was Commodore and Ian was Vice-Commodore.

Robert Reem ‘48 was also in 3rd Company.

Don Stephens ‘48 was also on the 150 pound football team.