I
USTE
Vol. 2—No. 33
U. S. Navy Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, April 29, 1944
These Four Moved Into New Positions During The Past Week
CONGRATULATIONS went the rounds at this station during the past week as four officers
moved into new positions. On the left is Lieut. Comdr. Howard L. Hamilton, USNR, who is the new
Executive Officer. The three men pictured in the right hand photo are, left to right, Lieut. R.
Eugene Curry, USNR, Lieut. Robert Bruce, USNR, and Lieut. Henry M. Brabham, USNR. See
story below for complete details.
Lt. Comdr. Hamilton N amed
As New Executive Officer
Lieut. Comdr. Howard L. Ham
ilton, USNR, who last week suc
ceeded Lieut. Comdr. James P.
I^augh, USNR, as Executive Of
ficer of this station, is another of-
’ ficer who played an important role
the organization of the Pre-
Ellght Training Program.
Two years ago this past Janu
ary Lieut. Comdr. Hamilton en
ured the Navy on leave of absence
from the Ohio State University for
the duration. For two decades
previously his life was continu
ously linked with the Buckeye
. School, first as a student then as
executive and educator.
' Upon reporting to the Navy in
' Washington, Lieut. Comdr. Ham-
See HAMILTON, page 4
Lt. Bob Bruce
Becomes Head
Of Academics
Lieut. Robert Bruce, USNR,
formerly in charge of ENS, has
been appointed head of the Aca
demic Department, succeeding
Lieut. Comdr. Howard L. Hamil
ton, USNR, who is the new Execu
tive Officer of this Pre-Flight
School.
Lieut. Bruce, who is married and
has two children, entered the Navy
in 1942, and since that time has
been attached to the Academic De
partment here. He completed his
See BRUCE, page k
46th Battalion Dance
Planned for May 6
The Senior Battalion Dance for
members of. the 46th Battalion
will be held in the Pine Room of
Lenoir Hall on Saturday, May 6,
from 2100 to 2400. Refreshments
will be served, and music fur
nished by the swing section of the
Pre-Flight band.
Movie Schedule
Sat., April 29—Free movie at
Village Theatre, “Whistling in
Brooklyn” with Red Skelton. Fea
ture starts at 1930 and 2104.' Com
plete show one hour, 35 minutes.
Sun., April 30—Free movie at
Village Theatre, “Fallen Spar
row,” with Maureen O’Hara and
John Garfield. Feature starts at
1318 and 1457. Complete show one
hour, 40 minutes.
Pre-Flight Band
Leaves for Duty
Outside Country
The Navy’s first all-Negro band
01 this war which has supplied
music for hundreds of occasions at
this Pre-Flight School since ar
riving here on July 31, 1942, was
detached last Monday for duty out
side the continental limits of the
United States.
The band was transferred as a
group to Receiving Barracks,
Shoemaker, Cal., for further
transfer to ComFourteen and as
signment to new duty. James B.
Parsons, Music, was in charge of
the departing group.
During 21 months of service
here, the band won an excellent
reputation for itself playing for a
variety of assignments, including
numerous regimental reviews.
War Bond rallies and parades in
Raleigh and Durham, Army-Navy
E-Award presentations, and even
a ship launching in Wilmington.
There have been summer concert
series, and music at baseball, bas
ketball, and football games, and
other sports events.
The swing section of the band
had played on more than a hun
dred occasions, and counting the
daily period parades of the cadets,
the entire band played for almost
ten times as many military for
mations.
To replace the departing band,
a new group of Negro musicians
arrived during the past week from
the U. S. Naval Training Station,
Great Lakes, 111.
In charge of the new band is
Chief Musician Chancey S. See
ley, USN, who has been in the
naval service for more than twenty
years, approximately two-thirds
of the time at sea.
While the previous band was re
cruited entirely within the state
of North Carolina, the new bands
men come from widely separated
places.
See PRE-FLIGHT BAND, page 3