Northwestern University Naval ROTC - Purple Salvo Yearbook (Evanston, IL)

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NELSON LOUIS ROQUES VVhen anything more French than Rocky appears, spear itg it must be a French-fried shrimp. Rocky was slid through 28 months of school without any notable adventures, embarassincnts, or misdemeanors. Whenever Nelson has occasion to speak to more than three people, there is always some discussion as to whether he has a ball of cotton in his mouth or whether he just bit the end olT his tongue. Undoubtedly one of these is the correct answer but no one knows for sure. His past history reads like a quick review of all the navy programs evel' invented. He has been in V-5, V-6, and finally in V-12. New he made the ROTC and what's more made lieutenant in the ROTC, a position somewhat analogous to ai general in the Marine Corps. The people of New Orleans have every reason in the world to be proud of their representative in the fraternity in Phi Kappa Sigma. He is dependable, quiet and industrious which means that in his present com- pany he is one rare bird. , SVEND AIGE SECHER Mr. Wilkens used to speak about Scowegiens and Svend ground his teeth. People say unkind things about Boston and Sandy spits flame. But go ahead and say something nice about the Aleutians and you will be an eyewitness to the meaning of the word beserk, complete with heartrending screams and bloodthirsty curses. Our little friend from Denmark came to us one day via Boston, Mass. Since then we have learned: people in Boston don't have blue noses, Boston harbor does not taste of teag and, Scully Square not an Irishman who cannot jitterbug. Sandy likes eolfee potent enough to remove tooth enamel, but only when there is no beer to be had. Irish in general, Cathy from Connecticut in particular, have always fascinated our little blond lover. Letter-writing was a task that kept him out of mischief during the week, but on Saturday night with Daddy Thoreson in tow he put all thoughts of pen and ink out of his head amid the peaceful surroundings of the Club S. WILLIAM BUSBY SKEATES ' Pause a moment and look at that middle name again. Now ain't that the limit? However Skeeter did all right for himself in spite of or maybe because of, that name. He was the leading eager beaver of the boys from Notre Dame right after he arrived at N.U. I-Ie even used to go on 3.6 liberty. However Bubbles Conners took him in hand and showed him the way to make 2.6 liberty and since that time Skeeter has been rctrogrossing quite normally. The weekly journey to Chicago's south side always ended in joy for Skeeter. What if he did have to ride 25 miles on the El? He could work up a mighty fine thirst in that space of time. While on the basketball floor Busby had a style all of his own. It consisted of leaping to terrific heights, kicking the heels together three times. and then slugging his opponents hard enough to gain possession ol' the ball for his team. His was the unique distinction of being the only company commander to command half of his house on the extra duty squad. And all because Skeeter needed a beauty nap. CLA R DON CHRISTOPHER SMITH Here is another name that is a little out of the ordinary. But then the owner ol' the name is also a little out of the ordinary himself. Stern-faced, flywaisted, broad- shouldered, Smitty is the perfect picture of what the lone wolf must look like. He is so close mouthed that if bartenders understood sign language he wouldn't open his mouth lor years on end. ll' the old saying, Still water runs deep, is true, then Smitty ain't got no bottom. His past is shrouded in mystery but these facts are known: Born? Yes, of course. Where? Kendallville, Ind. When? Years ago. Record? Only in the navy, nothing serious. None the less his future looks more bright seeing as how gradua- tion for Smitty will mean a pin striped suit and a felt hat. Maybe then we shall find out how this guy operates for operate he surely does. Despite his silent ways he man- ages to make it known to all eligible young ladies that Smitty around and that they had better act accordingly, which same they always do. ing fs

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STANLEY ANTHONY OBREMSKI O'Bremski fas in O'Brien, O'Halloron, O'Flynn and Oh nutsll Ah, too bad his shoulders, his sun glasses, his three stripes, his hair and his own opinion of himself don't show in this picture. Pittsburgh, he said, is so sunny and bright that sun glasses are vital, but Stan offered no excuses for the rest of his paraphenalia. With Claude E. Parker, king pong, as partner in crime, Stanley stole many a ping pong game from his opponents. Parker and Stan also took turns inflating each others ego by earnestly revealing, one to the other, how wonderful it was to be handsome, strong, gifted, and intelligent fespecially in fire controll. Stan would admit, if requested, that Phi 'Kappa Psi is the luckiest of fraternities and that N.U. is the most fortunate of schools. An authority on everything from baseball to Beethoven, the Pittsburgh kid spewed out advice on all the subjects included therein with the regularity of cement mixer. And of course, the sentence, She was a queeng all my women are queens, could only come from the lips of Stanley Obremski. Long live Poland!! CLAUDE EDWARD PARKER Claude may not be Warren, Ohio's only claim to fame, but he surely is one of them' .lust where we should sink our knife into Claude is a bit of a problem because he has several very tender spots. He acquired the nickname of King Pong. That should be enough warning to anyone dumb enough to wager with Claude on a ping-pong game. Just as there is an original Parker style in ping-pong, there is an original study called The Parker method of Fire Control. This great advancement in naval science, when revealed to Lt. Comthx Washburn by a shy and diffident Claude, caused quite a furor. It seems that the whole process is simplified to the extent that all you have to do is push down on the fire control button and then, still according to Claude, just wait forthe planes to fall. As a basketball player, Parker left much to be desired in form and grace. His gazelle-like strides up and down the basketball floor reminded one watcher of 'ta flatfooted giraffe attempting to run with his legs tied together. Appropriate comment! RICHARD HANSON PLANT Dick Plant, better known as the f'Flushing Red Dogn, hails from one of Brooklyn's smaller suburbs. Not finding the navy to his liking, Richard enlisted in the Sea Bees and spent a year of rest in a lonely Pacific paradise. After much persuasion, the Navy finally talked Dick into coming to Northwestern, where he gained the distinction of handing in the most perfect Descriptive Geometry final exam, in fact, it was per- fectly blank! As an engineer, Dick was soon convinced by Mr. Obert's thermo exams that he'd be much better off in some L.A. basket weaving class. Winning the Pulitzer Prize for his efforts as editor of the weekly Purple Salvo, Plant is the only senior who speaks Spanish with a Brooklyn accent. A pillar of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Dick is one of the foremost advocates ofthe Scott Hall Mixer. for it was at one of these that he met the future Mrs. Plant. WILLIAM OLIVER RAN IGY Almost the most ancient one of his class, Bill carries his age quite well. Only his hair reveals his antiquity and even that fthanks to Thomas, fnc.j gives every indication of being the original batch. But two small stripes show that Bill still has enough life in him to be considered by the powers above as something more than part of the scenery. His Phi Kappa Sigma pin and his mistrust ol' all and every woman are his two most prized possessions. Trading insults with Claude Parker proved that he had a sense of humor and in some cases a sharp enough comeback to shut Parker up for a second or two. Without actually being a whiz at the game, Bill went for ping-pong enough to buy himself a paddle of his own and once in a while a few of the dimestores' best five cent ping-pong balls. Indianapolis, Ind. and Lone ltanger Club No. 69 of that city mourned long and loud vihen Bill joined the Navy some years ago. And now they are mourning again because he has almost enough points to get out.

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KENNETH CHARLES TIMOTHY SNYDER Look at that name! The Greeks must have had one word for him but we aren't Greeks. Our description proceeds as follows: six feet two inches long, a head, two feet, a couple pounds of meat, four or five dozen teeth Cking sizei, seven or eight ounces of blood, one or two morals, no inhibitions and a pzul. K.C. came to the navy after a sentence in the Coast Guard. His days as a Hooligan are ones he would like to forget. As M.C. at the navy Happy Hours, K.C. amused his Phi Psi brothers. entertained his comrades, and tortured the officers. Snydcr's comments on the probable past occupa- tions ancl likely future dispositions ol' all otlicers connected with this unit made every officer present uince. Doughty leader of those characters from house 0, K.C. supplied the motivation for the famous caterwaulling RO band. Home town Chicago and all the local bartenders will together pine the loss ol' the master of the quip when, with a gold stripe on each bony urist, he reels off to sea. RICHARD ROBERT SPEAR, JR. Boot Spear has been with us so long that the members of his company refer to him as The Admiral. With his austere pan and rigor morris walk Dick has been shaping this station into a real navy for the last 28 months. Herm Stegen first tagged him with the name Boot when Dick mentioned that he spent IG months at Great Lakes. Why, in our early navigation classes, Dick even amazed Mr. Meier with his nautical lore. Spear is another one of those knob-happy geniuses turned out by our secondary technical schools and he isn't completely happy unless he can have every piece of electrical equip- ment in the house, plus the warning buzzer, hooked up to one control panel. As a. devoted observer of all station regs, Dick rules his company with an iron fist. a booming voice, and a ream of demerit slips. Lake Bluff, Ill. is the site of Dick's present and future home. He is also going to make it the site of his own personal boot camp after he starts his own personal navy. I-IERMAN CHRISTIAN STEG EN Herm Stegen's fog-horn voice was most frequently heard misquoting the daily announcements to the members of the second battalion. Born and raised in Peru, Ill. Herm makes it his personal responsibility to sing the praises of his beloved LaSalle- Peru high school to any and all who will submit. He admits that the school has gonc to seed since he left and predicts a similar future for N.U. After his departure from high school, Herman the German,tried digging ditches for ii while. Finding the work not strenuous enough for him he came to V-12 where a man could work up a thirst ffor knowledge, of coursej. As I-Iorrible Herman he played guard on the Wildcat football team for two years. Despite the fact that hc was a grid iron killer, he is gentle as a lamb with the young ladies, that is, both the young ladies he knows. Herm has nothing against the navy, he just thinks of marriage as a more promising peacetime occupation. HUGH BILLIE TANNER Long, lank, and lean, I-Iugh Billie casts a shadow like a toothpick, yet he tries to throw his weight around like a bar-room bouncer. As big wheel of house 10, main cog of Co. 22, and cotter-pin of the senior class, Hugh has done all right for himself. Really at his best on the basketball court, old Birdlegs did well in the intramural basketball game. The social prestige of Phi Kappa Sigma would have been devastated were it not for high and handsome Hugh. He was first noted for his rubber boots. Some of the more ir1'everent onlookers questioned as to whether Hugh was wearing the boots or the boots were using him as ia set of self propelled shoe trees. Be that it may, Lebanon, Ind. and Cupid both have a place in their heart for him. Wedding bells and big deals are the order of the day for Hugh when graduation puts gold on his sleeve instead of his mind. After due thought Hugh decided to begin his post-navy career on a job that only pays 310,000 a year. This self effacing bit ol' courtesy made one and all most happy. 26