RICHARD H. SETH, LTJG, USN
Richard Seth '49
Lucky Bag
From the 1949 Lucky Bag:
Richard H. Seth
Baltimore, Maryland
John Hopkins really lost a favorite son when Dick left the Phi Gamm house to join the "country club" set. He really took a mean strain on each physical to stretch through with his five foot six longitudinal axis, but that same axis spelled doom to those who would put the ball through a lacrosse goal when Dick was in the net. For four years the "Stopper" proved that he was one of the best goalies in the business. With no academic worries, he found his only trouble in life was his constant inability to keep one girl from finding out when he was dragging her best friend. In the future we will remember that wine, women, song, and food put an identifying mark on Dick—wine and women to start the evening off, song to give atmosphere and food to end it well.
Dick was a member of the lacrosse team.
Richard H. Seth
Baltimore, Maryland
John Hopkins really lost a favorite son when Dick left the Phi Gamm house to join the "country club" set. He really took a mean strain on each physical to stretch through with his five foot six longitudinal axis, but that same axis spelled doom to those who would put the ball through a lacrosse goal when Dick was in the net. For four years the "Stopper" proved that he was one of the best goalies in the business. With no academic worries, he found his only trouble in life was his constant inability to keep one girl from finding out when he was dragging her best friend. In the future we will remember that wine, women, song, and food put an identifying mark on Dick—wine and women to start the evening off, song to give atmosphere and food to end it well.
Dick was a member of the lacrosse team.
Loss
Richard was lost on February 25, 1954 when the F2H Banshee fighter he was piloting crashed off the coast of Greece. He was a member of Fighter Squadron (VF) 141, flying from USS Randolph (CVA 15).
Other Information
From The Baltimore Sun, February 27, 1954, located by researcher Kathy Franz:
Richard H. Seth, distinguished combat pilot who was also one of the Naval Academy’s most brilliant lacrosse players, died in a jet plane crash off the southern coast of Greece, his parents here were told yesterday.
The young junior-grade lieutenant died during a daylight training exercise, the Navy informed Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Seth, of 5515 North Charles street.
The news came within less than a month after the young flying officer’s last visit here. Assigned to the aircraft carrier Randolph, Lieutenant Seth spent a few days with his parents while the Randolph was at Norfolk, Va., about three weeks ago.
Decorated 3 Times
Three times decorated for his outstanding record as a Navy jet flyer during the Korean conflict, Lieutenant Seth had completed 66 missions. Recalled to the West Coast, after his tour of duty with the carrier Kearsarge, he was reassigned late last year to the Randolph and sent to the Atlantic theater of operations.
No details of the crash that took his life were available yesterday beyond the fact that the jet went down in the Mediterranean off Southern Greece.
Before the Korean conflict brought him honor as a combat pilot, Young Seth had been recognized among athletes and lacrosse fans as one of the ablest goalies ever developed at Annapolis.
All-American Star
He made the second team All-American in 1948 and moved up to the first string All-American the following year.
Graduated in the Spring of 1949, the youth was returned to the Naval Academy the following year as assistant to Dinty Moore, head coach.
“Humming Bird”
Blond and only 5 feet 6 inches tall, Seth was a spectacular player through his three years on the Navy team. Coaches and teammates called him one of the fastest and shiftiest of defense men and a remarkably shrewd diagnostician of plays.
Competitors joined colleagues in giving him the title of “Humming Bird” as he built up a record for speed, skill, judgment and heart.
It was while the young naval officer was working with Coach Moore that he decided to ask for a transfer to the Naval Air service – and received it.
In October, 1951, he won his wings at the naval air training base at Pensacola, Fla. After further training in the West, he was ordered into action in the Pacific, completing a long tour of duty with the Kearsarge as his base.
Early Education
Lieutenant Seth received his early education at McDonogh School, where his interests outside the classroom extended to baseball, swimming and riding.
Anticipating an appointment to the Naval Academy, the student spent a year after graduation from McDonogh in further training at the Johns Hopkins University.
Lieutenant Seth, an only child, was 27 years old. At the time of the crash into the Mediterranean, he was attached to Air Group 14, Fighter Squadron 141.
From USS Haynsworth Association newsletter: "Dick Seth---went to aviation and lost at sea in a carrier landing."
Dick won the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award for the top lacrosse goalkeeper in 1949.
Photographs
From The Baltimore Sun on March 19, 1950
From The Evening Sun on October 2, 1951
From The Evening Sun on January 22, 1953
From The Baltimore Sun on March 15, 1953
Memorial Trophy
From the July 1958 issue of Shipmate:
The Seth trophy is awarded annually to the player designated by a vote of the Navy squad as its "most outstanding opponent." It was presented to the Naval Academy Athletic Association by Stephen Seth, of Baltimore, father of the late Lt. Richard H. Seth '49, in memory of his son who was killed in a jet plane crash in February 1954. Lieutenant Seth was a four-year letterman at the Academy and was All-America goalie in 1948 and '49.
Related Articles
Edgar Cruise, Jr. ’49 was also a member of the lacrosse team.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
