John Cowell '55
Date of birth: January 30, 1933
Date of death: December 17, 1957
Age: 24
Lucky Bag
From the 1955 Lucky Bag:
JOHN EVERETT COWELL
Cummington, Massachusetts
Thorpe was among the most versatile athletes on the field. Hailing from little Mass, John came to the Academy after learning how to use the slide rule at Worcester Polytechnic. He often baffled various academic departments with his methods but always seemed to come up with the right answer. Standing close to the top in scholastics did not alter Jack's desire for adventure, and he has been known to see the night lights of Baltimore. Second Class cruise saw Jack perform at the Lord Nelson in Halifax — he was fabulous! Also among Jack's attributes was his ability at drilling. This was perfected after many Wednesday afternoon practice sessions. Jack used his ability to use a shovel by contributing various articles to the Log.
Loss
John was lost in an aircraft accident on December 17, 1957.
He is buried in South Carolina, and was survived by his wife, Margaret, and two year old daughter, Debora. He was a member of the 353th Day Fighter Squadron, based at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (Debora's name and loss information from February 1958 issue of Shipmate.)
Memorial Hall Error
John was a 1st Lieutenant, USAF; he is listed for some reason in Memorial Hall as a 2LT, US Army.
Class of 1955
John is one of 34 members of the Class of 1955 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
