KENNETH W. ILGENFRITZ, LCDR, USN
Kenneth Ilgenfritz '68
Lucky Bag
From the 1968 Lucky Bag:
KENNETH WILLIAM ILGENFRITZ
Baltimore, Maryland
"Fritz" took a short ride up Route 2 from Baltimore to come to the Academy and ever since has been heading back down the same road.
Every chance he gets, never one to return earlier than 55 seconds before liberty expired, he lived up to his cries of "Give me liberty or give me leave". The "Baltimore Son" could always be found surrounded by a pipe rack, soccer shoes, "soul" music, a best seller, and someone laughing at his unending jokes. Far between trips to the soccer and fieldball fields, the weightlifting rooms, and the blue trampoline, Ken found time to get good grades, especially in Politics and Economics, and a hard earned major in D.Q. With his winning personality and sense of responsibility to be a welcome addition to any wardroom in the Fleet.
He was also a member of the 4th Company staff (2nd and 3rd sets).
KENNETH WILLIAM ILGENFRITZ
Baltimore, Maryland
"Fritz" took a short ride up Route 2 from Baltimore to come to the Academy and ever since has been heading back down the same road.
Every chance he gets, never one to return earlier than 55 seconds before liberty expired, he lived up to his cries of "Give me liberty or give me leave". The "Baltimore Son" could always be found surrounded by a pipe rack, soccer shoes, "soul" music, a best seller, and someone laughing at his unending jokes. Far between trips to the soccer and fieldball fields, the weightlifting rooms, and the blue trampoline, Ken found time to get good grades, especially in Politics and Economics, and a hard earned major in D.Q. With his winning personality and sense of responsibility to be a welcome addition to any wardroom in the Fleet.
He was also a member of the 4th Company staff (2nd and 3rd sets).
Loss
LCdr. Ilgenfritz, along with LCdr. Thomas J. Davis, Lt. James C. Beamer, Lt. Kenneth Shainess, and Ensign Carlton J. McLawhorn, were killed when the E-2C Hawkeye they were aboard crashed. The State (Columbia, SC) reported on January 16, 1978:
The pilot told air traffic controllers in Jacksonville Fla moments before impact that he was having control problems. The plane was enroute to Cecil Naval Air Station at Jacksonville when it went down.
Shipmate
From the April 1978 issue of Shipmate:
LCdr. Kenneth William Ilgenfritz USN was killed in an aircraft accident near Wilmington, North Carolina, on 14 January 1978. Memorial services were held at the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland, on 23 January with interment in the Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.
Appointed to the Naval Academy from the State of Pennsylvania, he was graduated with the Class of 1968 and entered flight training at once. Upon being designated naval aviator, he joined the carrier Intrepid for a three-year tour, then returned to the Naval Academy as an instructor. In June 1977 he returned to sea, joining Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125. He was flying from the carrier John F Kennedy as a pilot of an E-2C Hawkeye when the crash occurred. He had recently been commended for his flight record while assigned to the carrier.
He was survived by his widow, Cheryl, and son Kurt, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; his parents, Kenneth and Rose, and a sister, Patricia, all of Baltimore.
He is buried in Maryland.
Other
Kenneth was nominated for "Youth of the Year" while a student at Dumbarton Junior High School in 1961. He graduated from Parkville High School in 1964 and in 1967 he was an usher at his sister's wedding. He graduated from the Academy on the Superintendent's List, an honor designation.
Remembrance
From VAW-120:
The most unforgettable character from my VAW-120 AND VAW-121 days would be hands down, Lt. Ken Ilgenfritz. He arrived at VAW-121 in early 1979 as a jg fresh out of flight training and RVAW-120 and was assigned to Det 11. He quickly was advanced within the Det from Maintenance Control Officer to Maintenance Officer. He was a ‘67 USNA grad who had paid attention to all that was being taught there. Mr. Ilgenfritz was without a doubt, the finest Naval Officer that I ever served under during my 23 year career. He was fair, listened to his men, especially his Chiefs and then had the ability to make a quick and well informed decision. He was well liked by Officers and Enlisted alike and was on the fast track to the top. That, however, was not to be. After being assigned to RVAW-120 and being promoted to LCDR, he was subsequently transferred to VAW-125. It was during a flyaway to homeplate from USS JFK that he and his entire crew were lost during a crash near Supply, NC on Jan. 14, 1978. The accident investigation and voice communication from the plane indicated that they had no elevator control over the aircraft. Seems that the decision to bail out was make too late. A real decent human being and totally unforgettable. FC Bogler ADRC USN-Ret
The Command History of VAW-125 and VAW-125 have some more details.
Related Articles
Thomas Tardy '68 was also in 4th Company.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
