- Col William P. Litton, 1 November 1951 (Crashed 2 November 1951, on mission, missing and presumed dead)
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Schlatter Family Photos
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In Memoriam |
My father, Joe Schlatter, was born 1 August 1915; John C. Patty was born a few months earlier, 4 April 1915. John Cockrell Patty probably is one of the Patty boys pictured in the 1931-32 football team photo with my father. According to the inscription, John Patty graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1937; he would have enrolled in the Academy in August-September 1933, thus, he probably graduated from Shaw HS in May-June 1933.
Here's the next headstone.
The inscription on this stone reads:
In grateful memory of |
Born January 6, 1918 |
On the Internet Wikipedia site is an article about Colonel Litton's unit, the 51st Fighter Wing. In that article is the following entry that lists past commanders of the 51st:
Because COL Litton graduated from West Point in 1940 (end of academic year 1939-40), he would have entered in 1936 (beginning of academic year 1936-37). My brother has found records that COL Litton attended the University of Mississippi for one year before entering West Point (academic year 1935-36). He would have graduated from Shaw High School in 1935 (end of his senior year, 1934-35). My father graduated from high school in 1933. Therefore, COL William P. Litton would have been a sophomore at Shaw HS when my father was a senior, 1932-33. I have no way of telling if the LITTON who is standing next to my father in the photo is Colonel Litton, but, my brother and I will continue to research this question.
Also, my brother found more information about COL Litton. After he graduated from West Point, he entered the U. S. Army Air Corps (which would become the U. S. Air Force in 1947). He was shot down in aerial combat during WW II over Romania where he was captured by German forces. He was released
Of course, the point here is that the tiny Mississippi Delta town of Shaw was touched by WW II as was every community and family in the nation. My father and both his brothers enlisted and served. And, as we see, two young men from Shaw graduated from the Naval Academy (Annapolis) and the U.S. Military Academy (West Point) and both died in combat, one in WW II, one in the Korean War.
Shaw, MS, High School Baseball Team - 1938
Fred Schlatter, the youngest of Adolph and Emma's sons, is on the front row, second from left -- the only one in the front row without a hat.
Third from the left on the back row is David M. "Boo" Ferriss, who went on to pitch for the Boston Red Sox. Boo -- as I know him -- compiled a 21-10 record in his rookie season, and followed it with another excellent season in 1946, going 25-6 on the Sox team that won the American League pennant. He started two games for the Sox in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals winning one of them, but the Sox lost the series 4-3. His record in 1947 was 12-11. Arm troubles and asthma restricted him to 9 games started in 31 appearances in 1948; by 1950, his playing career was over. Boo Ferriss was the pitching coach for the Red Sox between 1955 and 1959 then became head coach of the Delta State University (Cleveland, MS) baseball program. He guided Delta State to a 639-387 record and three appearances in the NCAA Division II College World Series before retiring in 1988.
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