JAMES R. KYLE, JR., LT, USN

James Kyle, Jr. '15

Date of birth: April 2, 1892

Date of death: May 22, 1925

Age: 33

Lucky Bag

From the 1915 Lucky Bag:

James Roland Kyle, Jr.

Lynchburg, Virginia

"Jimmy"

LOOK closely, gentle reader, ere you explore further. This is Jimmie Kyle, of Virginia. Though of slight build and modest, unassuming mien, Jimmie occupies a prominent part in our affections. The needy do not beg his assistance in vain while there remains a shirt or pair of socks in his locker. But let one become inquisitive or even flippant—who has not withered under his scornful "You're too curious" or his scathing "Who wants to know?"

If it were not for the Academic Department, Jimmies worries would be at an end. It has taken much midnight oil and more self-denial to entice old 2.5 to a dark, lonely spot and crown him. But at certain periodic and memorable intervals, mere earthly cares are cast off, and Jimmie, clad for festive frivolity, fares forth. Why, once—no, a couple of times. . . . . . .

We are not responsible for this, but rumor has it that Jimmie breaks three razors a week. The tendency is, however, to doubt it, for it is very seldom that we ever see the evidence of the use of even one. Curious, too, how he can be so negligent of his appearance when he rooms with Sarge Henning. Now Sarge, as we all know, has only one rival in the beautifying line, Pinky Kneip, and Kneip has the advantage with his warm, auburn ensemble. Sarge is an expert, though, and we should think he would have tried his art on Jimmie.

Jimmie's pleasant manner and weird, slow smile have kept him dragging continually. He joins Sarge in the contention that there aren't enough hops.

"Br-r-r! I'm co-o-old! I'm freezin'!"

James Roland Kyle, Jr.

Lynchburg, Virginia

"Jimmy"

LOOK closely, gentle reader, ere you explore further. This is Jimmie Kyle, of Virginia. Though of slight build and modest, unassuming mien, Jimmie occupies a prominent part in our affections. The needy do not beg his assistance in vain while there remains a shirt or pair of socks in his locker. But let one become inquisitive or even flippant—who has not withered under his scornful "You're too curious" or his scathing "Who wants to know?"

If it were not for the Academic Department, Jimmies worries would be at an end. It has taken much midnight oil and more self-denial to entice old 2.5 to a dark, lonely spot and crown him. But at certain periodic and memorable intervals, mere earthly cares are cast off, and Jimmie, clad for festive frivolity, fares forth. Why, once—no, a couple of times. . . . . . .

We are not responsible for this, but rumor has it that Jimmie breaks three razors a week. The tendency is, however, to doubt it, for it is very seldom that we ever see the evidence of the use of even one. Curious, too, how he can be so negligent of his appearance when he rooms with Sarge Henning. Now Sarge, as we all know, has only one rival in the beautifying line, Pinky Kneip, and Kneip has the advantage with his warm, auburn ensemble. Sarge is an expert, though, and we should think he would have tried his art on Jimmie.

Jimmie's pleasant manner and weird, slow smile have kept him dragging continually. He joins Sarge in the contention that there aren't enough hops.

"Br-r-r! I'm co-o-old! I'm freezin'!"

Biography

From Find A Grave:

Lieutenant J. Kyle, USN, was designated Naval Aviator #2950 in 1921. Graduated U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1915. Was Engineering Officer of the Torpedo Boat Destroyer USS DENT during the World War.
From May 1-2, 1925 LTs Kyle and Clarence Henry Schildhauer (NA #3053), testing the new PN-9 seaplane, set a new endurance record of 28 hours, 35 minutes, 27 seconds. The plane, a metal-hulled flying boat equipped with two Packard engines, was used by CDR John Rogers later in the year on his record flight toward Hawaii.
Assigned to the parachute school at NAS Lakehurst, NJ, LT Kyle was killed when his parachute failed to open after bailing out of a disabled aircraft.

James was survived by his parents and brother; he is buried in Virginia.

World Record Flight

The aircraft mentioned above featured an open cockpit.

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.

January 1915

Ensign, USS Brooklyn

Others at this command:

MIDN Charles Wedderburn '15

January 1916

Ensign, USS Barry

January 1917

Lieutenant, Naval Aircraft Factory, Navy Yard, Philadelphia

Others at this command:

CDR Robert Cabaniss '06

Class of 1915

James is one of 18 members of the Class of 1915 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of the alumni in Memorial Hall.