Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1978 Lucky Bag:

LEE E. SUTHERLAND

Lee Sutherland greeted his death as he had greeted his birth, innocently and hopefully. After wrestling his way into the Naval Academy he discovered a new life through submitting himself to our Lord Jesus Christ; and Lee blossomed toward Christian maturity from that moment forth. He opened himself wide to the world and to those around him. For Lee there was time for everything; time to read the Scriptures; time to assist other midshipmen in the studies, time to talk; time to pray; time to write; time to be tactful; time to pray; time to challenge errors; time to correct wrongs; and always there was time to witness for our Risen Lord. Lee Sutherland, respected by the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, fully shares another new life with Christ in His victory over death. So let our sorrow turn to joy as we proclaim and celebrate the sure and certain hope of resurrection to which Lee and all of us hold fast.

Loss

Lee was lost on December 5, 1977 when the two-seat training plane he was aboard crashed near BWI airport. The civilian instructor pilot aboard was also killed.

Lee was participating in a Naval Academy program to “flight training aspirants and determine their suitability as Navy pilots”. (From the December 6, 1977 edition of The Capital, quoting a “Naval Academy spokesman.”)

Other Information

From The Capital on December 8, 1977:

Funeral services will be held at 3 PM tomorrow at the Naval Academy Chapel for Midshipman First Class Lee Elliot Sutherland who was killed in a plane crash near Waterloo Monday.

Midshipman Sutherland, 22, was born near Pittsburgh, Pa. His mother, Mrs. Donna Jean Sutherland, lives in Oxon Hill. His father, Grant D. Sutherland, lives in Waynesburg, Pa.

A 1973 graduate of Northern High School in Accident, (MD), Sutherland attended Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa., before entering the Naval Academy. He had leadership positions at the company level and was on the varsity wrestling team at the academy.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by his brother, Ens. Grant D. Sutherland, Jr., of Kingsville, Texas; and two sisters, Donna Lynn Stanton and Jill Sutherland, both of Waynesburg.

From Find A Grave with a snippet of what appears to be his high school yearbook:

LEE ELLIOT SUTHERLAND
Oct. 21, 1955
Curriculum: Academic Sr. H.
Activities: Football 10-12, Wrestling 10-12, Co-captain, Lettermen’s Club, Honor Roll, Doug Carey Award, Band, Waynesburg Wrestling Camp-3yrs.
Ambition: Electrical Engineering

Lee is buried in the Naval Academy cemetery.

Photographs

L-R: Glen Woods, Lee, Fred von Ahn; plebe roommates. Photo courtesy Glen Woods.

Remembrances

From his roommate of three and a half years, Glen Woods ‘78:

He had the broadest shoulders I have ever seen and was as strong as an ox. He was a wrestler, and you could tell by just looking at him. But he was as gentle as anyone could be. We used to wrestle in our room, and he could have snapped me like twig, but he always only let it go so far. We teamed up often against a couple of ‘77 guys that would burst into our room during study hour, and we would spill out into the passageways and get it on. So much fun.

He also was smart as anyone. He was an electrical engineer, and he used to get excited when he solved the toughest problems. He really got into it as he enjoyed the challenge.

He took me up to Deep Creek Lake, and we would go waterskiing in very cold water. That was the first time I ever saw anyone ski barefoot! He was good.

Lee was more of a mentor to our plebes than a hard-ass. He certainly obeyed the regs; he was not an over the wall kind of guy, but he embraced life and tried to make the best of every situation. He never met somebody he couldn’t befriend. He was kind and generous, but he would have made a great warrior. His brother, Grant ‘76, was a Naval Aviator and Lee was very excited about going to flight school and flying jets. He would have been a great aviator.

Memorial Hall Error

Despite his loss being an operational one, Lee is not listed with his classmates in Memorial Hall. This error was identified by his Naval Academy roommate.