JOHNS H. JANNEY, CDR, USN

Johns Janney '36

Date of birth: July 10, 1913

Date of death: July 30, 1945

Age: 32

Lucky Bag

From the 1936 Lucky Bag:

Johns Hopkins Janney

Baltimore, Maryland

"Jack"

"Where're ya' from, mister?" "Baltimore, sir." "What a thing to live down." And so it is (we are told), but fortunately Jack came here with enough equipment to make us believe his home town an asset to a man. He had a thorough academic training and an excellent background. He showed the first qualification by standing well up in the class (he gets this stuff, but will not be called a savoir), and the second by exhibiting superior conduct. Among his numerous passions are classical music, good books, and dramatics. Asked a favor by one of his multitude of friends, he will do his utmost to carry out the request; he'll even drag blind. To all of us, the word which will best fit Jack is "gentleman." Can a finer tribute be paid any man?

Tennis 4, 3, 2; Third Company Representative 4, 3, 2; Masqueraders 4, 3, 2, 1; President Masqueraders 1; Trident Society 2, 1; Vice-President and Editor-in-Chief of Trident 1; Council N.A.C.A. 1; One Stripe

Johns Hopkins Janney

Baltimore, Maryland

"Jack"

"Where're ya' from, mister?" "Baltimore, sir." "What a thing to live down." And so it is (we are told), but fortunately Jack came here with enough equipment to make us believe his home town an asset to a man. He had a thorough academic training and an excellent background. He showed the first qualification by standing well up in the class (he gets this stuff, but will not be called a savoir), and the second by exhibiting superior conduct. Among his numerous passions are classical music, good books, and dramatics. Asked a favor by one of his multitude of friends, he will do his utmost to carry out the request; he'll even drag blind. To all of us, the word which will best fit Jack is "gentleman." Can a finer tribute be paid any man?

Tennis 4, 3, 2; Third Company Representative 4, 3, 2; Masqueraders 4, 3, 2, 1; President Masqueraders 1; Trident Society 2, 1; Vice-President and Editor-in-Chief of Trident 1; Council N.A.C.A. 1; One Stripe

Loss

Jack was lost in USS Indianapolis (CA 35) when she was sunk by a Japanese submarine on July 30, 1945. He was the ship's navigator.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In March 1932, Johns starred in the comedy-melodrama "The Haunted House" produced by the Gilman Country School for Boys Dramatic Association. He had the longest and most difficult role of the novelist. In 1931 he performed in the comedy "Billy."

His father was listed as next of kin.

Johns is remembered at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

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.