FREDERICK J. KIRBY, ENS, USN
Frederick Kirby '54
Lucky Bag
From the 1954 Lucky Bag:
Frederick John Kirby
Youngstown, New York
Sailing was the hobby of this fellow; he enjoyed it with a pleasure that only a real enthusiast can comprehend. The ac's tackled our boy in a big way and each time they fell, but didn't overwhelm. Easy to know, determined, and at the same time nonchalant, he would take a chance on anything and invariably get away with it. An infectious grin and sense of surety marked him in everything he did—even in his sleep, talker that he was. Never in the background and maybe not always in the foreground, but you will always find him somewhere in the picture with something to add to the situation. His witty comments are always appropriate.
SAILING—4,3,2,1. FOOTBALL—3. FIELDBALL—2,1. BOAT CLUB—4,3,2,1. VARSITY: FENCING—4.
He was a member of the 5th Battalion staff for the fall set.
Frederick John Kirby
Youngstown, New York
Sailing was the hobby of this fellow; he enjoyed it with a pleasure that only a real enthusiast can comprehend. The ac's tackled our boy in a big way and each time they fell, but didn't overwhelm. Easy to know, determined, and at the same time nonchalant, he would take a chance on anything and invariably get away with it. An infectious grin and sense of surety marked him in everything he did—even in his sleep, talker that he was. Never in the background and maybe not always in the foreground, but you will always find him somewhere in the picture with something to add to the situation. His witty comments are always appropriate.
SAILING—4,3,2,1. FOOTBALL—3. FIELDBALL—2,1. BOAT CLUB—4,3,2,1. VARSITY: FENCING—4.
He was a member of the 5th Battalion staff for the fall set.
Loss
Frederick was lost during flight training in a crash “on one of his last flights before graduation” on October 27, 1955 near Pensacola, Florida.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Frederick was killed when his parachute did not have time to open after he bailed out of his disabled plane. His Panther jet collided with another in a rendezvous maneuver from Forrest Sherman Field. The other plane made it safely back.
Frederick’s father was Chief Boatswain’s Mate John D. Kirby of the U. S. Coast Guard. He was in charge of the U. S. Coast Guard Niagara Lifeboat Station for eight years when he died on December 30, 1954.
Frederick’s brother was Seaman James J. Kirby who quartermaster on the Coast Guard Cutter USS Ingham at Norfolk. Their sister was Evelyn.
He was survived by his mother Neva and is buried in New York.
Related Articles
Louis Niederlander, Jr. '54 was also on the 5th Battalion staff in the fall.
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