Harvard graduates entering into aviation, late WWI
Harvard, 1908 — Decennial Beport
CLARENCE CECIL PELL
Born : Newport, R.I, 29 July 1885. Died : New York, 3 November 1964
Parents : Herbert Claiborne Pell, Katherine Lorillard Kernochan.
School : Pomfret School, Pomfret, Conn,
Degrees : A.B., 1908.
Married : Madeline Borland, New York, N.Y., May 17, 1910.
Children : Clarence Cecil, Jr., Oct. 16, 1911, John Nelson Borland, Nov, 11, 1914; Katherine Griswold, Jan, 11, 1919,
Occupation Insurance,
Address : (home) Westbury, Long Island, N.Y. (business) 6 Hanover St., New York, N.Y.
Soon after graduating I went around the world with C.S. Brown, Jr., C.R. Leonard and G. Lorillard, all of 1908, returning in time for class day, 1909. I worked at various jobs until July, 1917, when I enlisted in the air service. I was commissioned 2d Lieutenant in February, 1918, and made an instructor in flying soon after, I arrived overseas just before the armistice and returned on the first transport thereafter to leave England. I have two sons who will be in the classes of 1933 and 1936, if they get into college, and one daughter. Member : Harvard Club, Union Club, Racquet Club, all of New York; Piping Rock Club, Locust Valley, N.Y.; Tuxedo Club, Tuxedo, N.Y. [July, 1917, enlisted in air service. Feb., 1918, commissioned 2d Lt., instructor in flying. Arrived overseas just before armistice.]
CHARLES ALLEN BLISS (Born Brockline, Mass., Aug. 14, 1886) also Harvard 1908, writes :
When the United States declared war, I decided that selling bonds was no job for a man with no children to support, so I tried for naval aviation. Nothing doing. I was too old! So I tried army aviation. Same answer! To make a long story short, I found a loophole and was accepted as candidate for aerial observer, in November, 1917. With that as a start, it was easy to get transferred to candidate for pilot. I attended ground school at Princeton, in February, 1918. I languished with other browbeaten cadets at Camp Dick, Dallas, Tex., and in May began to fly at Dorr Field, Fla. I was commissioned 2d "Looey," R. M. A., in July, and was sent to an instructors' school at Brooks Field, San Antonio, Tex., where I ran across Clarence Pell, who was a full-fledged instructor and Flight Commander. I finished the instructors' course under the Gosport or "A11 Thru" System, as it is called in this country, in August, and was held at Brooks Field as permanent instructor of instructors. Pell went abroad and shortly after I got his job as Flight Commander, and there the armistice caught me.
CHARLES STELLE BROWN (Born Elberon, N.J., Aug. 4, 1887) also Harvard 1908, writes :
After leaving college, I travelled around the world with Clarence Pell, Griswold Lorillard and Charlie Leonard, all 1908. I then went into the real estate business with Douglas Robinson (Charles S. Brown Co., New York). The firm name is now Brown, Wheelock Co. (Inc.). I remained here until June, 1916, when I went to McAllen, Texas, with the 12th N.Y. Infantry, of which I was a member. I returned to New York in March, 1917. In September I went to Camp Wadsworth with the same regiment, which later became the 52d Pioneer Infantry. With them I saw service in Prance from August, 1918, to April, 1919, returning home with the rank of Major.
GRISWOLD LORILLARD (Born New York, N. Y., June 17, 1885) also Harvard 1908, writes :
After graduation I went around the world with C.S. Brown, C.R. Leonard and C.C. Pell, all of 1908. In 1910-11 I was in the real estate business in New York. I enlisted at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, March 16, 1917, was ordered to Newport, R.I., early in May, with rating of coxswain. In April, 1918, I was promoted to Chief Yeoman, and to Ensign the following October. After twenty-two months' service in the 2d Naval District, I was ordered to inactive duty January 12, 1919.