ROBERT W. LARSON, LT, USN

Robert Larson '24

Date of birth: June 1, 1902

Date of death: June 11, 1936

Age: 34

Lucky Bag

From the 1924 Lucky Bag:

ROBERT WARREN LARSON

Cheyenne, Wyoming

"Swede"

LOOKING at his rosy cheeks and robust J build, you just know he spent his early days on the plains of his native state. Swede is not at all the story-book cow-puncher; quite the opposite, in fact. He is quiet in the extreme and has never been known to give the famous "Hook 'em, cowboy" yell.

Our hero's pet diversion is playing solitaire, and he spends most of his leisure hours trying to prove that it is a good game.

High on the tree; dragging blind, a philosophy that would make Socrates turn over in his grave—that's Swede. He has his own ideas about life and nothing will change them, except, possibly, a girl.

Bob tries never to force his opinions on anyone and is one of the rarest specimens of mankind,—a good listener.

"I'm going to the Asiatics for the first twenty years, 'cause they're the hardest."

Class Lacrosse (3).

ROBERT WARREN LARSON

Cheyenne, Wyoming

"Swede"

LOOKING at his rosy cheeks and robust J build, you just know he spent his early days on the plains of his native state. Swede is not at all the story-book cow-puncher; quite the opposite, in fact. He is quiet in the extreme and has never been known to give the famous "Hook 'em, cowboy" yell.

Our hero's pet diversion is playing solitaire, and he spends most of his leisure hours trying to prove that it is a good game.

High on the tree; dragging blind, a philosophy that would make Socrates turn over in his grave—that's Swede. He has his own ideas about life and nothing will change them, except, possibly, a girl.

Bob tries never to force his opinions on anyone and is one of the rarest specimens of mankind,—a good listener.

"I'm going to the Asiatics for the first twenty years, 'cause they're the hardest."

Class Lacrosse (3).

Loss

From Naval History and Heritage Command:

During dive bombing practice, SOC-1 from Memphis (CL-13) crashed into the sea near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Lt. Robert W. Larson and Aviation Machinist's Mate Sidney L. Harris both killed. 11 June 1936.

Robert earned his wings as naval aviator #3402 on April 7, 1928.

Unable to find a memorial marker or any next of kin.

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.

July 1924

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Henry Schmidt '22.

September 1924

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Henry Schmidt '22.

November 1924

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Henry Schmidt '22.

January 1925

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Henry Schmidt '22.

March 1925

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Henry Schmidt '22.

May 1925

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Henry Schmidt '22.

July 1925

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Henry Schmidt '22.

October 1925

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: LTjg Henry Schmidt '22.

January 1926

Ensign, USS Rochester

October 1926

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Louis LeHardy '26.

January 1927

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Louis LeHardy '26.

April 1927

Ensign, USS Rochester

Others at this command: ENS Louis LeHardy '26.

October 1927

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LCDR Thalbert Alford '09, LT Robert Fleming '17, LT William Sample '19, LT Frederick Roberts '20, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LT John Lenhart '21, LTjg Edward Frawley '22, LTjg William Davis '22, LTjg William McCord '23, ENS Hallsted Hopping '24, and ENS Thelman Lester '25.

January 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT Robert Fleming '17, LT William Sample '19, LT Frederick Roberts '20, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LT John Lenhart '21, LTjg William Davis '22, and ENS Thelman Lester '25.

April 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

Others at this command: LT Robert Fleming '17, LT William Sample '19, LT Frederick Roberts '20, LT LaRue Lawbaugh '20, LT Stephen Cooke '21, LT John Jones '21, LTjg William Davis '22, ENS Thelman Lester '25, ENS Jack DeShazo '25, ENS Creighton Lankford '25, ENS John Graff '26, and ENS Charles Signer '26.

July 1928

Lieutenant (j.g.), Scouting Plane Squadron (VS) 3B, USS Lexington

Others at this command: ENS Thelman Lester '25.

Others at or embarked at USS Lexington: LT George Cuddihy '18 (Fighting Plane Squadron (VF) 3B), ENS William Graham, Jr. '25 (USS Lexington), ENS Eugene Karpe '26 (USS Lexington), ENS Harold Sheehan '27 (USS Lexington), and ENS William Potts '27 (USS Lexington).