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'!"

Loss

James was lost on May 22, 1925 when his parachute failed to open at Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Other Information

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 [and featuring an open cockpit], 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.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

James graduated from Lynchburg Academy in August, 1911.
He was one of the first naval aviators to volunteer to pilot one of the three planes used in the MacMillan expedition to the North Pole in 1925.
In a test of parachutes, James and Lt. Joseph Schildauer were on the wing tips of the Douglass cruising plane piloted by Chief Aviation Pilot H. E. Jewell. After circling the field, the plane’s motor stalled. She was in a rapid descent and needed to be lightened. The head parachute instructor, Chief Rigger Starr, signaled for the two men to jump. At about 300 feet, Lt. Schildauer waited until the wind opened his parachute and landed unhurt. James fell from the wing struggling to grab the parachute ring. When it opened, he was about five feet from the ground. Both men were members of the crew of the P-N 9 naval seaplane.
James’ father owned a laundry business and was president of the Virginia Laundry association. James’ mother was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. His sister was Anne and his brother was John Holmes Kyle.

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

Photographs

From the Richmond Times Dispatch on May 25, 1925
From The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 23, 1925

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.