WILLIAM R. DOUGHERTY, LTJG, USN
William Dougherty '47
Lucky Bag
From the 1947 Lucky Bag:
William Robert Dougherty
Alexandria, Minnesota
Fresh from Minnesota and full of fight came Bill to ol' Nyvee. Notwithstanding his stature, he was determined to make good in baseball. We doubted his ability to make the plebe team, but through his tenacity and knowledge of the game, he did. From here on, he acquired the nickname, Ace. On the academic front he excelled in Bull with his long wordy themes. Ace did not go wild over the women, but this did not prevent his dragging occasionally. With a windup and a pitch, young Doc heads into the future with the same determination with which he came to us.
The Class of 1947 was graduated in June 1946 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
William Robert Dougherty
Alexandria, Minnesota
Fresh from Minnesota and full of fight came Bill to ol' Nyvee. Notwithstanding his stature, he was determined to make good in baseball. We doubted his ability to make the plebe team, but through his tenacity and knowledge of the game, he did. From here on, he acquired the nickname, Ace. On the academic front he excelled in Bull with his long wordy themes. Ace did not go wild over the women, but this did not prevent his dragging occasionally. With a windup and a pitch, young Doc heads into the future with the same determination with which he came to us.
The Class of 1947 was graduated in June 1946 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
Loss
William was lost on December 20, 1951 when the aircraft he was piloting crashed near Charleston, South Carolina.
From Rocky Mountain Evening Telegram on December 30, 1951:
Hunt Continues For Lost Plane CHARLESTON, S. C., Dec. 29 — A search party today covered a wide area In the Santee River swamp looking for a Navy pilot missing since his plane crashed Dec. 20. The missing pilot has been identified as Lt. (JG) William Robert Dougherty of Alexandria, Minn. His plane and that of his flight companion. Ens. Aldean Henry Steves of St. John's, Mich., were found in dense swamp on Thursday. Steves' body was recovered. The two planes disappeared on a flight from the carrier Leyte off Norfolk to Sanford, Fla. The searchers dug to a depth of 10 feet in the crater made by Dougherty's plane without finding a body. They abandoned digging today, saying they are now working on the possibility that Dougherty may have parachuted into the dense swamp. They also expressed the belief that his body may have been thrown some distance from the wreckage.
He was a member of Fighter Squadron (VF) 33.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Known as Bill, he won second place in the American Legion auxiliary state essay contest in May, 1940. He graduated in 1942 from Alexandria High School where he participated in High Times and baseball.
In January 1951, naval pilots aboard the carrier Leyte staged their largest aerial offensive in support of Eighth Army patrols in central Korea. William was credited with knocking out an enemy tank outside the mining town of Macher.
He was survived by his wife, Sally; his parents; a sister, Barbara; and a brother, Keith.
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