LARUE C. LAWBAUGH, LCDR, USN
LaRue Lawbaugh '20
Lucky Bag
From the 1920 Lucky Bag:
LaRue Charles Lawbaugh
Carbondale, Illinois
"Low Brow" "Rue"
LARUE is a man of moods. At times he is most enthusiastic about everything, at others you will find him depressed and extremely rhino. Among those who have made cruises with him, who has not listened spellbound to his romantic experiences on trains and the many and carried stories of his trips as manager of a big league ball team? Who again has not seen him sit for hours and say nothing? He is always in the latter mood when the heavy seas come over the bow and the ship is ten days out of New York.
Getting ready for liberty is his favorite pastime. La Rue takes as much pleasure in spending two hours blacking his shoes and slicking up his white service as he does in going ashore to get them soiled again. Nothing appeals to him more than association with society's most blasé personages, and once among them, La Rue is in his seventh heaven. Here he can vamp them all—young and old—with his never-ceasing repertoire, which includes wild tales of every wild town from here to the Mississippi and he never starts off with, "You may not believe this." He knows you won't, but that's a mere detail. Lawbaugh was a football and lacrosse player of no little renown until Youngster year. Then again the call of the parlor lured him and athletics lost a good man. He has never starred but has always been amongst those with plenty of velvet.
Those that know La Rue like him; he's a wise owl and his common sense and ever-ready wit are bound to win friendships during his stay in the Navy.
"'ot dog, how's this book?"
"Hey, Newton!"
"Reminds me of an experience—————"
Honors: Buzzard; Football Squad 4; Lacrosse Squad 4.
The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
LaRue Charles Lawbaugh
Carbondale, Illinois
"Low Brow" "Rue"
LARUE is a man of moods. At times he is most enthusiastic about everything, at others you will find him depressed and extremely rhino. Among those who have made cruises with him, who has not listened spellbound to his romantic experiences on trains and the many and carried stories of his trips as manager of a big league ball team? Who again has not seen him sit for hours and say nothing? He is always in the latter mood when the heavy seas come over the bow and the ship is ten days out of New York.
Getting ready for liberty is his favorite pastime. La Rue takes as much pleasure in spending two hours blacking his shoes and slicking up his white service as he does in going ashore to get them soiled again. Nothing appeals to him more than association with society's most blasé personages, and once among them, La Rue is in his seventh heaven. Here he can vamp them all—young and old—with his never-ceasing repertoire, which includes wild tales of every wild town from here to the Mississippi and he never starts off with, "You may not believe this." He knows you won't, but that's a mere detail. Lawbaugh was a football and lacrosse player of no little renown until Youngster year. Then again the call of the parlor lured him and athletics lost a good man. He has never starred but has always been amongst those with plenty of velvet.
Those that know La Rue like him; he's a wise owl and his common sense and ever-ready wit are bound to win friendships during his stay in the Navy.
"'ot dog, how's this book?"
"Hey, Newton!"
"Reminds me of an experience—————"
Honors: Buzzard; Football Squad 4; Lacrosse Squad 4.
The Class of 1920 was graduated in June 1919 due to World War I. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
Loss
From Pace Aeropress:
Enroute from Palm Springs, CA to NAS North Island, San Diego, CA [on March 28, 1938]. The aircraft had flown earlier in the day from San Diego to March Field & then on to Palm Springs where they rested. The aircraft departed Palm Springs at 1415 for its return flight & failed to arrive. The aircraft was not equipped with a radio, but was seen entering in the San Gorgonio Pass.
A search by 25 USN & USMC aircraft was grounded by bad wx on the first day. By 31 Mar, many USN, USMC & USAAC aircraft from NAS North Island & the March Field were searching the San Gorgonio & San Jacinto Mountain areas. Storms & low ceilings continued to hamper the search. By early April, the search had extended to the coastal areas of Southern CA. Though the USN expressed optimism that the aircraft would be found, no trace of the aircraft was ever found. On 18 April, the USN posted a $500 reward.
Pilot LCDR Larue C. Lawbaugh & AMM1c Erin Key.
Biography
From researcher Kathy Franz:
LaRue’s father was Charles, and his mother was Bertha. She later married Mr. A. S. Roberts, a hotel proprietor in Carbondale. His sister was also named Bertha. LaRue married Vera Keller on July 3, 1926, in Pensacola, Florida. Vera never remarried and died in 1986.
While growing up in Carbondale, LaRue played baseball and football. In December 1913, LaRue was unanimously chosen to captain the football team the next school year. The local newspaper wrote: “The full back ought to make a good leader. He is capable, hard working and will by example inspire his men to hard work. He is always in the game from beginning to end, giving the best that he has, and well do the members of the team remember his well known battle cry, “Clout ‘em, lads,” used so often during the past season when spirits were drooping and muscles were tiring.”
LaRue graduated from the University High School in 1914 after which he spent some time in Notre Dame College, Terre Haute, Indiana. He was later appointed by Congressman E. E. Denison to the Naval Academy.
In November 1916, he played in the Navy vs. Villanova game won by the Navy 57 to 7. The newspaper wrote: “But before the whistle, the Navy had another scare. McQuicken’s pass and Reap’s run effected a glittering gain of 50 yards. Reap was clear of the field, but a Navy man, rushing out from the pack and going like a shot, dived at his man from behind, caught him and dropped him. It was Lawbaugh who made this useful and spectacular tackle.”
In December 1923, LaRue’s U.S.S. Idaho team won her third grid-iron championship of the Pacific beating the Fleet Air Force team from San Diego 15 to 6. LaRue, captain and quarterback, kicked a field goal in the first quarter, and in the fourth quarter, made a touchdown, kicked the extra point, and then hit another field goal. The other 2 points were from a safety.
In October 1920 he returned home from a cruise to Honolulu on the U. S. S. New York. He commented on the Japanese question. The local newspaper wrote: Lawbaugh said the Navy was ready any minute to go to Japan after the enemy in case of war. But Naval men believe Japan will bluff until her hand is called and then she will back down. … The United States has a present building program of 16 first line battleships, as many as there are at present. This will give us absolute supremacy. Stay out of the League of Nations and our big navy ultimatums will be enough.”
LaRue's Find A Grave page is here.
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 1920
January 1921
January 1922
May 1923
July 1923
September 1923
November 1923
January 1924
March 1924
May 1924
July 1924
September 1924
November 1924
January 1925
March 1925
May 1925
July 1925
October 1925
January 1926
October 1926
January 1927
April 1927
October 1927
January 1928
April 1928
July 1928
October 1928
January 1929
LT Edwin Conway '20
LT Stephen Cooke '21
LT James Carney '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
April 1929
LT James Carney '21
LT Francis Bridget '21
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
LTjg Creighton Lankford '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
July 1929
LT James Carney '21
LT John Jones '21
LTjg William Davis '22
LT James Craig '22
LTjg Matthias Marple, Jr. '23
LTjg Walter Leach, Jr. '24
LTjg Walter Dey '24
LTjg Hubert Waters '25
ENS Henry G'Sell '26
October 1929
January 1930
April 1930
October 1930
January 1931
April 1931
July 1931
October 1931
January 1932
April 1932
October 1932
January 1933
April 1933
July 1933
October 1933
April 1934
July 1934
LT Robert Bedilion '22 (USS Ranger)
LTjg William Pennewill '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 3B)
LTjg Bruce Van Voorhis '29 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg Robert Haven '30 (Bombing Plane Squadron (VB) 5B)
LTjg James Kyes '30 (USS Ranger)
ENS William Sisko '31 (USS Ranger)
2LT Robert Brown '31 (USS Ranger)
ENS Earle Schneider '33 (USS Ranger)
October 1934
LTjg Oscar Pate, Jr. '27 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
LTjg Gilbert Carpenter '30 (Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 1B)
January 1935
April 1935
October 1935
January 1936
April 1936
January 1937
April 1937
September 1937
January 1938
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