Eight names, one somber quote, a million questions. Who were these boys who left their home, traveled far to an unknown land, never to return? I’ve asked myself these questions for years, and I was ready to uncover the truth about the boys from Wooster who served in World War II. Over the past two months, I have buried myself in old documents, compiling the names of every single Wooster student who served in WWII. I know there is room for error, but I can sincerely say I have read and re-read every document we have and believe this to be an accurate compilation of information. It was my honor to give these boys their names and stories light after so many years. Below are the boys who were either missing in action, killed while enlisted, or killed in action during WWII, including these eight. This project was created to honor some of Wooster’s soldiers for Veterans’ Day. Thank you to those who served and continue to do so.
Missing in Action
Charles “Charlie” Phillips - Class of 1939
Charlie was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps before he was listed as missing in action on March 22, 1944. He was in England as a pilot with the U.S. Army Air Forces. He flew over twenty missions over Europe and received the Air Medal and three or more Oak Leaf Clusters. During his last year at Wooster, Charlie was the Senior Prefect. After graduating, he attended Princeton University and entered the service in February of 1942. He left behind a wife and daughter in Waterbury, Connecticut.
BUT THEN A MIRACLE HAPPENED! Charlie was found in a German prisoner-of-war camp after spending about a year and a half there. He was finally released and returned to the safety of his home with his family.
Charlie, thank you for your service.
Basil “Bas” Burke Jr - Class of 1941
Bas was a Private in the U.S. Army before being reported missing in action in Germany on Dec. 21, 1944. He was attached to the Medical Corps and had been overseas since September 1944. He was drafted while in his third year of pre-med at Yale.
BUT THEN A MIRACLE HAPPENED! On April 17, 1945, Basil’s mother, Mrs. Alva Burke, sent Wooster the news that her son had been found alive as a prisoner of war. He was confined to bed, but was hoping to return home soon. He and other P.O.W.S had been flown to an American hospital in England from their camp in a transport plane. Bas was quoted as saying that their [the Army’s] greatest interest was in his safety, no longer needing to “sweat out” artillery and planes, night and day, while unprotected. He said that he still appreciated the “lovely English gardens and hedges in blossom.” His mother attached his address to the message, stating that she was sure he’d “love to hear from you all.”
Once returning to the U.S., Bas visited Wooster and shared many "interesting, sobering tales and essential lessons.” He was married on August 30th, 1945, to Miss Patricia Chaffe.
Bas, thank you for your service.
Killed While Enlisted
Stephen “Steve” Ferguson Hopper - Class of 1934
Steve didn’t graduate from Wooster, but The Wooster General honored him nevertheless.
Steve became a student at Wooster in 1931 as a member of the Second Form, rooming with Edwin Green. However, he left Wooster the following year due to continuous asthma attacks. He stayed in touch with his classmates at Wooster as he began graduate work at Yale Law School. He received the signal honor of appointment to the Yale Law Review, but he resigned in May of 1941 to enter the Navy. He was on active duty on the Atlantic and was promoted to Lieutenant when he was put in charge of a PC boat in the Pacific. His death occurred shortly after he received his last command due to “shock and exposure.”
He was buried in Allied ground, but was later transferred to his home in Long Island, where he is now buried. The Wooster General wrote: “Though modest to an extreme degree, Steve was a brilliant student, and his intellectual achievements alone would have carried him far. He was a liberal, dedicated to the principles and way of life that would make war impossible. That he gave his life in a war he hated is an indication enough of his selfless spirit…We are grateful that we have known him.” Steve, thank you for your service.
Killed in Action
Edward “Eddie” Valentine Tait Wetmore - Class of 1935
Eddie lost his life in the sinking of the Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba off the coast of Greenland on June 13, 1943. The Wooster General wrote:
“He was an able, enthusiastic athlete, scholar, and a friend. Always ready to volunteer in an emergency…There was nothing shy or retiring about Eddie. His great and complete generosity, his willingness to work hard and well until the job was finished, and his unusual spirit of fair play made him a welcome member of any gathering or team that he was a part of…Eddie joined the Coast Guard, since he was well acquainted with the sea, having learned its many aspects during numerous carefree summers with his family on Cape Cod.” He was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.
Eddie, thank you for your service.
Spencer Goodwin Campbell - Class of 1936
John “Jack” Fleming Landis - Class of 1936
Jack was a Private in the U.S. Army. He passed suddenly from the “toxic effect of the serums injected given to all recruits upon their acceptance into the Army.” After graduating from Wooster, he went on to become the Captain of the Princeton Gymnastics Team. The Wooster General wrote: “Always quiet and gentlemanly, loyal to his many friends, Jack made his presence felt immediately.” He was buried in his home state of Ohio. Jack, thank you for your service.
Henry “Hank” Huntly Neales Shriver - Class of 1936
Hank was a Captain in the Marine Corps stationed in the South Pacific, where he was an expert in the “native language." He had been stationed on twelve different islands and atolls and had risen to the position of company commander of a tank outfit. He contracted a severe infection and was sent to Oak Knoll Hospital in California, where he was granted leave, which he spent with his wife. He was then sent to the Tank Maintenance School at Fort Knox and then to Camp Pendleton.
Albert “Al” Allen Jones - Class of 1939
H. Russell “Russ” Carlton Stephens Jr. - Class of 1940
1921-1944
Russ was a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Corps for two years and had been overseas for eleven months when he was killed. He was a navigator on a transport plane that was destroyed over Holland on September 18, 1944. He held the Air Medal and the Presidential Unit Citation. His last letter to his wife was written the day before he was killed, and he died never seeing his seven-month-old son.
The Wooster General wrote: “The Wooster School extends to Stephens’ wife and family its sincere sympathy…He became a member of the Wooster family in September 1939…[he] readily participated in many activities and sports, including baseball, football, and hockey, where he proved himself a most capable and loyal defender of the Wooster cause. Russ’s ubiquitous, easy-going demeanor was insufficient to conceal both depth of character and high purpose.” Russ is buried in St. Avoid, France. Russ, thank you for your service.
Donald “Slats” “Don” Cameron Slator - Class of 1943
Don was a member of a Navy Patrol Bomber Squadron and was awarded the “unexpected rating of Aviation Ordnanceman Third Class.” After being drafted, Don spent over an hour talking about the time he had spent at Wooster during his last day, planning for a visit upon his return. He spent his last 48-hour leave on a happy tour of Los Angeles and Hollywood, leaving for his “great adventure” in good spirits. He died in Okinawa on Aug. 6th, 1945, from wounds “received in the service of his country.”
The Wooster General wrote: “Don loved Wooster School…during his five years at school, [he] won a host of friends and a fine reputation for good scholarship, good nature, and willingness to do anything and everything that needed to be done…He was 19 at the time of his death. He is the youngest alumnus to give his life for his country. He was too young to fight and too young to die. But it may be truly said that the quality of his life more than made up for its brevity. It will always be an inspiration to his many friends.”
Soon after his death, the Donald Slator prize was instituted at Wooster by his mother, Mrs. Helen Cameron Slator. It was “to be awarded annually at Commencement to the boy who has shown the greatest active interest in The Wooster General. Don was deeply interested in journalism, and while at Wooster, he was a member of the staff of this paper. The prize will be awarded for nineteen years, Don being nineteen years of age at the time of his death.” Don is buried in West Haven, Connecticut, and his name is among the over 240,000 inscribed on the Okinawa Peace Memorial in Japan. Don, thank you for your service.
Hannah '26
Advanced Journalism Student
