GUY A. MCELROY, LT, USN
Guy McElroy '54
Lucky Bag
From the 1954 Lucky Bag:
Guy Alexander McElroy
Alameda, California
In Guy, one finds the unsurpassable combination of a stalwart mind and an agile body. Being a star man did not deprive Mac of the time necessary to compete as a member of the varsity gym squad. However, because of his versatility, he participated in a wide variety of sports. An avid reader, Guy spent considerable time in acquiring a liberal education. As a member of the Class Crest Committee, he helped design our class crest. His friendly personality and serene manner have won him many friends. His loyalty and firmness of purpose, coupled with a sense of pride in a job well done, will stand him in good stead throughout his career.
SQUASH—2,1. VARSITY GYMNASTICS—4,3,2.
He was a member of the 16th Company staff for the "third set."
Guy Alexander McElroy
Alameda, California
In Guy, one finds the unsurpassable combination of a stalwart mind and an agile body. Being a star man did not deprive Mac of the time necessary to compete as a member of the varsity gym squad. However, because of his versatility, he participated in a wide variety of sports. An avid reader, Guy spent considerable time in acquiring a liberal education. As a member of the Class Crest Committee, he helped design our class crest. His friendly personality and serene manner have won him many friends. His loyalty and firmness of purpose, coupled with a sense of pride in a job well done, will stand him in good stead throughout his career.
SQUASH—2,1. VARSITY GYMNASTICS—4,3,2.
He was a member of the 16th Company staff for the "third set."
Loss
Guy was lost when his F-8 Crusader crashed on June 15, 1959 at Moffett Field, California. His aircraft had been diverted to Moffett from USS Midway (CVA 41).
Per The Peninsula Times, Guy was killed:
when the throttle on his supersonic Crusader jet apparently locked and he was unable to reduce speed . . . The plane, the fastest fighter in the navy, sped across the 9,200-foot runway at about 175 mph as the pilot frantically attempted to bring it to a halt, the navy reported. When the jet hit the end of the runway, it crashed through a six-foot-high chain-link fence, skidded through a mud flat for about 400 feet and flipped over, throwing the pilot into a mire near the bay. . . At the time of his crash, he had been deployed with several other Crusader pilots the week before for training operations aboard the carrier USS Midway off the Northern California coast. While attempting a landing on the Midway, Lieutenant McElroy reported the malfunction of the plane’s throttle and was instructed to fly back to Moffett to make an emergency landing.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
In May 1948, Guy was a member of a high school tumbling act which performed at the Alameda Lions' “Fathers and Sons or Daughters Night.”
He was class editor for the Alameda high school yearbook, a member of the school's varsity tumbling team, and assistant student body yell leader. He was on the publicity committee for the senior play, and on the Sophomore Hop Committee. He graduated tenth in his class of 284 in 1949. He entered the Naval Academy on a congressional appointment from the 6th District.
In August 1952, Guy and other midshipmen completed a week's study and inspection of Naval Installation in Philadelphia and major civilian industrial plants. Per the Alameda Times, the group received training in fighting gasoline, oil and electrical fires. Visiting the air development center, they observed the newly commissioned “human centrifuge,” a device for ascertaining the effects of high speeds and rapid acceleration on the human body.
Guy received his pilot training at Pensacola and was transferred to Moffett Field in October 1958.
In 1940 his father Robert was a history research worker for a W. P. A. Writer's Project in Oakland. His mother was Inez, sister was Mrs. Olive I. Butler, and brother was Dale E. McElroy.
The application for his headstone marker indicates he was a member of Fighter Squadron (VF) 124.
He was survived by his mother, who was residing in Alabama. He is buried in California.
Photographs
From The Times (San Mateo, California) on June 16, 1959
From The Birmingham News (Alabama) on June 17, 1959
From the Times Star on May 28, 1954
From the Peninsula Times Tribune on June 16, 1959
From the Times Star on November 3, 1945
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