Marion County Remembers

Remembering TSGT Samuel "Sam" Fox II (Fairmont) July 11, 1924 - June 13, 1944 ---- TSGT Samuel Fox II (Service Number 15115126) was born July 11, 1924 in Braxton County, WV, the son of Samuel and Myrtle (McClung) Fox. When Samuel was born, his father was working as a book keeper for the Railroad Company (1920 census).  Sometime between 1920 and 1930, their family moved to 1303 Virginia Avenue in Fairmont so that Samuel Sr. could be the accountant for Consolidated Coal, a position that he continued through at least the 1950s (1930-1950 census records) even as they moved to various houses in Fairmont. Sam attended East Fairmont High School. The 1942 East Fairmont High School Orion yearbook, where this photo of Sam came from, said that his nickname was "Great Orie" and that he participated in Student Council. His future wife, Jean Mathias, was also in the EFHS class of 1943. Enlistment and Marriage: Sam entered into the Army Air Corps on June 15, 1942 (in Kentucky), th...

Remembering SSGT Leonard Leo Brown (Fairmont) June 22, 1921 - June 6, 1945 ---- SSGT Leonard Leo Brown (Service Number 15320201) was born June 22, 1921 in Fairmont, WV. The son of George and Mary Catherine "Katie" (Gooch) Brown, the Brown family lived in the Quiet Dell Community on 310. George worked as a core maker for a foundry (1920 Census) and as a foreman for Domestic Coke (1930-1940 Censuses). The Brown family lived just a few doors down from the family of Medal of Honor recipient Woodrow "Woody" Williams, and a plaque at the WV National Guard Armory in Fairmont, WV, describes the duo as childhood friends. Leonard attended East Fairmont High School, graduating in the class of 1941. No EFHS yearbooks denote activities for Leonard, but the 1940 Orion does list his nickname as "Lem McGee." It is unfortunate to note that Leo was not the only member of the EFHS class of 1941 to die in service during WWII. His classmates Howard Dodd ,  William "Bill...

Remembering MSGT Richard Glassco Tennant (Farmington) October 3, 1918 - May 8, 1943 ---- Master Sergeant Richard Glassco Tennant (Service # 15012411) was born October 3, 1918 in Farmington, WV to Loren and Willa "Pearl" (Davis) Tennant.  Loren worked as a telegraph operator (1920 census) for the railroad. Unfortunately, Loren died in 1927, leaving Pearl unemployed in Farmington with their three children- Ruth (11), Richard (8), and Edna (7), living at Parish Run specifically. Richard attended Farmington High School, graduating with the class of 1937. While at Farmington High School, he played baseball and football ("Richard Tennant, Lost in May 1943, Is Reported Dead ," Fairmont Times) .  The 1944 Lincolneer Yearbook says of Richard: "Dick," a bombardier has been missing in the Pacific theater of war since May 8, 1943. He is a graduate of our school in the class of 1937. He enlisted in the Air Corps in 1939 and has been in Panama and the South Pacific sinc...

Remembering 2LT Millard Fillmore Arnett, Jr. (Fairmont) March 10, 1922 - August 3, 1944 ---- 2LT Millard Fillmore Arnett, Jr. was born in Fairmont on March 10, 1922. the son of Millard and Gladys (Shroyer) Arnett. When Millard, Jr. was born, his family lived at 1116 Carlton Street, and Millard Sr. was a tailor (1920 census), but by 1930 had moved to Barrackville, where they lived with Millard, Sr's father (1930 census). According to the 1940 Census, the family moved to 1016 Lowell Avenue by at least 1935, where both Millards and Millard's brother, William, worked at Monelity Machines. In 1943, Millard married Caroline Wells Snider. Military Service: Millard entered the draft on June 30, 1942. At the time, he lived at 801 Short Avenue and worked for his father. He was 5'8" and 140 lbs, with brown hair, brown eyes, and light skin. According to his Honoree Plaque through the American Battle Monuments Commission , Millard was a P-47 Thunderbolt Pilot.  Unfortunately, 2LT M...

Remembering 2LT William Lavelle Watson (Fairmont) June 6, 1917 - May 24, 1944 ----- 2LT William Lavelle Watson was born June 6, 1917 in Elkins, WV, the son of Roy and Eunice (Kildow) Watson. Roy was a railroad conductor in Elkins, but unfortunately died on December 10, 1922 when he fell under a moving train. Eunice was left alone with their three sons- Robert (7), William (5), and George (2). Eunice married again in 1927, this time to George Raymond Smith. At that time, the family moved to Fairmont. Not much is known about Eunice's youngest son, George, but a family member of theirs on Ancestry speculates that he died around 1927 as well.*  *Note: I haven't been able to find anything corroborating or denying the information about George's death, but he did not appear on any census records after 1920. An article about William does mention that George had died in Elkins ("Lieut. Watson Dies On Raid,"  The Elkins Inter-Mountain). In the 1930 census, the Smith/Watson ...

Remembering 1LT Frank Kinsey Evans (Fairmont) April 28, 1916 to May 13, 1944 "He is a gentleman in whom we place absolute trust." - 1934 FSHS Yearbook ------ 1LT Frank Kinsey Evans was born in Fairmont, WV on April 28, 1916 to William and Ora (Kinsey) Evans. William was the Chief Clerk for a local coal company. The family lived in a variety of locations in Fairmont, all on West Side: 1910 Census: 416 Madison Street 1920 Census: 224 Spring Street 1930 Census: 724 Mt. Vernon Avenue 1940 Census: 414 Gaston Avenue Education Frank graduated from Fairmont Senior High School in 1934. The 1933 yearbook states that Frank's ambition was to become an engineer, while his classmates said of him in the 1934 Maple Leaves "He is a gentleman in whom we place absolute trust." While at Fairmont Senior, he participated in Hi-Y and French Club. Next, Frank enrolled at Fairmont State Teachers College (now Fairmont State University). Frank was the student manager of the Fighting Teach...

  Remembering 2LT John Clark McKinney III (Fairmont) April 12, 1916 - May 9, 1944 --- 2LT John Clark McKinney III  (Service #O-701449) was born April 12, 1916 to John Clark (II) and Eleanor Helena (Rogers) McKinney, in Fairmont. John II was a newspaper reporter with The Fairmont Times.  The family moved fairly often, finally settling on Diamond Street: 1910 Census: 318 Merchant Street 1920 Census: Ferry Street/Columbia Street 1930-1940 Census: 507 Diamond Street In addition to being a newspaper reporter, John II was a Deputy U.S. Marshall. The West Virginian newspaper announced his appointment on May 22, 1918. Education, Draft, and Marriage John III attended East Fairmont High School and graduated in 1933, before moving on to attend Fairmont State Teachers College. He graduated in 1937 with a bachelor's degree in English. While at Fairmont State, he participated in the band, orchestra, and choral club, as well as in the fraternity Omicron Pi. John was the band's stu...

Remembering 2LT William Fay Davis August 9, 1922 - May 4, 1944 ---- 2LT William Fay Davis was born August 9, 1922 in Everson, West Virginia to Marcene and Willa (Everson) Davis. William was the third of four children, with two older sisters (Mary Margaret and Virginia) and one younger brother (John). William spent much of his life in Baxter, WV, while his father worked for Consolidated Coal in Rivesville, first as a trackman (1930 Census), then as a timberman (1940 Census). William entered the draft on June 30, 1942. At the time, he was also employed by Consolidated Coal in Rivesville. He listed himself as 5'11" and 151 lbs, with blue eyes and brown hair. He only attended two years of high school according to the 1940 census, presumably at Rivesville High School. Military Service: He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Wheeling on February 5, 1943. On May 4, 1944, 2LT William Fay Davis died in a plane crash near Westover Field in Ludlow, Massachusets, when all four engines exper...

SGT Peter Paul Phillips was born February 21, 1917 in Pittsburgh, PA, the son of  Walenty and Rosalie (Malinowska) Filipiak. Walenty and Rosa were originally from Poland, immigrating to the U.S. in 1912, and marrying in 1916. An alternative spelling of their names is "Walter and Rosa Phillips" as seen on the 1920 and 1930 West Virginia census data. At the time of Peter's birth (according to Walenty's WWI draft card, dated June 5, 1917), the family was living at 316 Harman Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Peter was the oldest of six brothers, all of whom entered the draft (or attempted to, in the youngest's case).  In 1920, the family was living in West Virginia, first in McDowell County. By 1930, the family moved to Farmington, where their address was listed as "Big Laurel Run Road," and Walenty was working as a coal loader. Pete likely graduated from Farmington High School, as his draft card said that he completed four years of high school. In 1935, ...

SGT Morris E Stacey (Service # 6661840) was born December 25, 1916 in Jefferson, Kentucky to James and Mary (Rediner) Stacey. The second youngest of eight children, Morris lived in Kentucky until sometime between the 1930 census and the 1940 census. He enlisted in the military in 1935 and by the 1940 census, Morris was already stationed in Wahiawa (Honolulu) Hawaii, with the 78th Pursuit Squadron of the Army Air Corps. On December 7, 1941, SGT Stacey was at Wheeler Army Airfield when the attack took place. Sergeant Morris Stacey and Corporal Vincent Horan attempted, under heavy fire, to wheel attack planes into the open in order to respond to the attack. Others on the field attempted the same, and were able to get a number of planes into the air to fight back. Stacey and Horan were both killed in the process, Stacey by the strafing of machine gun fire. To quote his WV Veteran's Memorial Biography :  "Morris and Corporal Vincent Horan were the only 78th Pursuit Squadron casualt...