WILLIAM C. GRAY, CDR, USN

From USNA Virtual Memorial Hall
William Gray '21

Date of birth: July 29, 1897

Date of death: August 9, 1942

Age: 45

Lucky Bag

From the 1921 Lucky Bag:

1921 Gray LB.jpg

William Cary Gray

Boise, Idaho

"Scotty"

HERE'S part two to the Mutt-Jeff combination and as Cary says, "The real asset." Ever since he took upon himself the obligation of caring for his big Berkserker roommate, Scotty has been in hot water. For he says he is not appreciated, and being the little half, he can not forcibly assert himself. Upon the publication of the monthly unsat trees his mark usually stands out clearly, and at such times Buxom sees red. Then it is, with the additional provocation of resigning, that he evokes a little sympathy from his savvier roommate.

After one trip to the barber shop Scotty saw a chance for a coup. His father makes those electric lawn mowers, whereupon we have them installed, saving much time for Brown and Company.

Nor could we let this opportunity pass without mentioning something of Cary's managerial qualities. In spite of the hard schedules he arranged. Manager Gray's two teams, the gym, and wrestling came through the season with flying colors, neither having a blot on its perfect record. He attributes this partly to the fact that he held the watch on Tiny during practice and invariably forgot when time was up.

One Stripe; Manager Wrestling; Gym (2, 1).


The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. William was graduated with 1921B.

1921 Gray LB.jpg

William Cary Gray

Boise, Idaho

"Scotty"

HERE'S part two to the Mutt-Jeff combination and as Cary says, "The real asset." Ever since he took upon himself the obligation of caring for his big Berkserker roommate, Scotty has been in hot water. For he says he is not appreciated, and being the little half, he can not forcibly assert himself. Upon the publication of the monthly unsat trees his mark usually stands out clearly, and at such times Buxom sees red. Then it is, with the additional provocation of resigning, that he evokes a little sympathy from his savvier roommate.

After one trip to the barber shop Scotty saw a chance for a coup. His father makes those electric lawn mowers, whereupon we have them installed, saving much time for Brown and Company.

Nor could we let this opportunity pass without mentioning something of Cary's managerial qualities. In spite of the hard schedules he arranged. Manager Gray's two teams, the gym, and wrestling came through the season with flying colors, neither having a blot on its perfect record. He attributes this partly to the fact that he held the watch on Tiny during practice and invariably forgot when time was up.

One Stripe; Manager Wrestling; Gym (2, 1).


The Class of 1921 was the last of the wartime-accelerated classes. "1921A" was graduated on June 3, 1920; the second half, "1921B", was graduated on June 2, 1921. William was graduated with 1921B.

Loss

William was lost when USS Quincy (CA 39) was sunk early in the morning of August 9, 1942 by Japanese surface forces at the Battle of Savo Island. His billet aboard Quincy is unclear.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

William met his wife Carolyn Mae Emmons while he was stationed at the Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Shields, Illinois, and she was a nurse at the naval hospital. Their first child William Jr. was born on December 5, 1932, in the Philippine Islands when William was stationed on the USS Pecos. Daughter Susan was born in Maryland in 1936. The family lived in Annapolis in 1940, and Carolyn died in Los Angeles in 1962.

William’s father died on April 18, 1929, at the Alexandria Hotel in Chicago where William was living. His father was buried in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr, Iowa. William’s mother was Mayme (Smith.) William was born in West Telluride, Colorado, where his father was a bookkeeper. (The house, 501 W. Columbia, is listed on the city's historic homes.) By 1910 the family lived in Boise, Idaho, where his father was working construction on an irrigation project. In 1916 William was announced in the local newspaper as an alternate to the Naval Academy.

His wife was listed as next of kin. He is listed at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.

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.

January 1922
Ensign, USS Mississippi

Others at this command:
May 1923
Ensign, USS Mississippi

July 1923
Ensign, USS Mississippi

September 1923
Ensign, USS Mississippi

November 1923
Ensign, USS Mississippi

January 1924
Ensign, USS Mississippi

March 1924
Ensign, USS Mississippi

May 1924
Ensign, USS Mississippi

July 1924
Ensign, USS Mississippi

November 1924
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

January 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), under instruction, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

March 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys
May 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys
July 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys

Others at this command:
October 1925
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys

Others at this command:
January 1926
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys

Others at this command:
October 1926
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys

Others at this command:
January 1927
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys

Others at this command:
April 1927
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Humphreys

Others at this command:
October 1927
Lieutenant (j.g.), USS Preston
January 1928
Lieutenant, USS Preston
April 1928
Lieutenant, USS Preston
July 1928
Lieutenant, USS Preston
October 1928
Lieutenant, USS Preston
January 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois
April 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois

Others at this command:
July 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois
October 1929
Lieutenant, Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois
January 1930
Lieutenant, Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois
April 1930
Lieutenant, Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois
October 1930
Lieutenant, Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois
January 1931
Lieutenant, for assignment, 16th Naval District

April 1931
Lieutenant, USS McCormick
July 1931
Lieutenant, USS McCormick
October 1931
Lieutenant, USS Pecos
January 1932
Lieutenant, USS Pecos
April 1932
Lieutenant, USS Pecos
October 1932
Lieutenant, USS Pecos
January 1933
Lieutenant, USS Pecos
April 1933
Lieutenant, USS Pecos
July 1933
Lieutenant, 16th Naval District

October 1933
Lieutenant, 16th Naval District
January 1937
Lieutenant, USS Colorado


Others at or embarked at this command:
ENS Ned Wentz '33 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)
April 1937
Lieutenant, USS Colorado


Others at or embarked at this command:
ENS Ned Wentz '33 (Observation Plane Squadron (VO) 4B)
January 1939
Lieutenant Commander, gunnery officer, USS Colorado

October 1939
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Powder Factory, Indianhead, Maryland
June 1940
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Powder Factory, Indianhead, Maryland
November 1940
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Powder Factory, Indianhead, Maryland
April 1941
Lieutenant Commander, Naval Powder Factory, Indianhead, Maryland


Class of 1921

William is one of 32 members of the Class of 1921 on Virtual Memorial Hall.

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