The Coolidge Examiner

Four Pinal County Boys Among Group Of 39 Arizonans Receive Wings Sunday
Four Pinal County boys were among 39 Arizona men who graduated Sunday from seven advanced flying schools of the gulf coast Army Air Forces training center.
The event marked the largest combined graduation class of military pilots since the inception of the coast training center.
The Pinal County graduates are Lieut. Lloyd Humphries of Coolidge, Lubbock Field, Texas; Sgt. Norton F. Schewel, of Florence; Lieut. Elmo Leon Dickerson of Ray, Kelly Field; and Lieut. Everett N. Farrell of Superior, Foster Field.
Assignments will follow soon and all hope to see combat action.
"We want to get into the fighting as soon as we can," one graduate declared.
Lloyd Humphries was born in Gilbert 1918 and came to Coolidge with his parents in 1928, where they made their home on a ranch east of town.
Lieut. Humphries is a graduate of Coolidge high school and attended Radio School in Los Angeles. He enlisted in the army, photography branch, 3 years ago, and began training as a cadet in 1942.
Staff Sgt. Norton F. Schewel of Florence, was born in Long Beach, California, July 19, 1919.
His parents home was in Florence, however, where Schewel attended grammar school and graduated from high school.
He enlisted in the army air corps in July, 1941 and received his preliminary training at Randolph field. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hendrik Schewel. His older brother Hendrik C. Schewel is also in the service.
Everett Nicholas Farrell was born in Patagonia, Ariz., January 10, 1919. In 1931 he came with his parents to Superior, where he graduated from high school and attended State Teachers' College at Tempe for two years.
He enlisted in the army air corps in Jan. 1942, and received his preliminary training at Chickasha. Before entering the air corps he worked as a miner, hoisting engineer and airplane assembler.
He is the son of Mrs. Grace A. Farrell of Superior.
The number of silver wings to be awarded today was not revealed. Training Center officers pointed out significantly that "492 Texans are included in the class, the eighth to graduate since Pearl Harbor."
Two identical twins, Lts. Ralph E. and James D. Tankersley of Terrell, Texas, delighted fellow cadets and confused flying instructors by looking, acting, and flying exactly alike.
The men who finished the 30-week course learned the ABC's of military aviation in three weeks of pre-flight instruction, and then flew nine weeks each at primary, basic and advanced schools.
Single engine fighter pilots gathered at Foster Field, Texas, Moore Field, Texas, and Lake Charles, La., Army Flying School.
Bomber pilots won their wings at Ellington Field, Kelly Field, Brooks Field, and Lubbock Army Flying School. All bomber pilot schools are in Texas.
Following student pilot tradition, mothers, wives and sweethearts of the pilots graduating today were named "honorary members of the class," and were mailed miniatures of the silver wings presented to the men.
Following is a list of the Arizona graduates, and fields from which they graduated:
Lieut. Maurice L. Forrey, Bisbee, Kelly Field: Lieut. Henry B. Bridget, Williams Field, Chandler, Foster Field:
Lieut. Merlin L. Lundquist, Chandler, Foster Field:
Staff Sgt. Hugh M. Rodgers, Chandler, Lubbock: Lieut. Benjamin C. Fehrman, Clifton, Lubbock: Lieut. Loyd P. Humphries, Coolidge, Lubbock:
Lieut. Benjamin H. McKinney, Courtland, Ellington Field: Lieut. Charles L. Rainville, Duncan, Moore Field:
Staff Sgt. Norton F. Schewel, Florence, Lubbock:
Lieut. Bernard A. Gillespie, Gila Bend, Foster Field: Lieut. Barney L. Rouse, Glendale, Foster Field: Staff Sgt. Thomas E. Watts, Globe, Ellington Field: Lieut. Fred J. Clubb, Mesa, Foster Field:
Lieut. Joseph A. Farnsworth, Jr., Mesa, Moore Field: Lieut. Orson P. Greer, Jr., Mesa, Lubbock;
Lieut. Fred F. Webb, Mesa, Lake Charles: Lieut. Allen B. Alexander, Phoenix, Moore Field:
Lieut. Byron H. Alexander, Jr., Phoenix, Moore Field: Lieut. William V. Baker, Phoenix, Lubbock; Lieut. Charles A. Downing, Phoenix, Lake Charles: Staff Sgt. James P. Gibson, Phoenix, Ellington Field;
Lieut. Lindley P. Hussey, Phoenix, Lubbock:
Lieut. Melvin Grant Lindsay, Phoenix, Moore Field;
Lieut. Eldon D. Mortensen, Phoenix, Lake Charles: Lieut. Robert James Murphy, Phoenix, Moore Field:
Lieut. Harold C. Parker, Phoenix, Moore Field:
Lieut. David W. Proctor, Phoenix, Kelly Field: Lieut. Alvin L. Schwartz, Phoenix, Lake Charles:
Lieut. James E. Watson, Phoenix, Lubbock: Lieut. James F. Williams, Phoenix, Lake Charles:
Lieut. James H. Wimmer, Phoenix, Brooks Field;
Lieut. Kenneth C. Dean, Prescott, Foster Field.
Lieut. Elmo Leon Dickerson, Ray, Kelly Field; Lieut. Everett N. Farrell, Superior, Foster Field;
Staff Sgt. R. Barney Carlson, Tucson, Lubbock: Lieut. Richard O. Hunziker, Tucson, Moore Field;
Lieut. Myron E. Mershon, Tucson, Moore Field; Lieut. Marshall G. Richards, Tucson, Kelly Field and Lieut. Tony Tsaguris, Tucson, Lake Charles.