By Al Rabenold
Editor’s note: The Johnny Thurber Memorial Scholarship was awarded Wednesday evening, May 11, to Korrinn Kehoe, a deserving MHS senior. Many of you, including the senior class, probably wonder “who is Johnny Thurber and why are we still talking about him 73 years after he graduated from the class of 1949.” If you are curious, here is a little about Johnny’s life. I hope you enjoy it.
Captain John Thurber, USN, Ret. passed away on January 18, 2018.
Born in Des Moines on August 23, 1931, John’s childhood was spent in Montezuma. He was a proficient athlete, playing both basketball and football during his high school years.
He was the quarterback of the football team and in his senior year the football team had an undefeated and unscored upon season.
He talked about his football quarterback days with the Montezuma Braves frequently. He and his childhood friends, Duane and Nancy Lowe, would reminisce (for hours and hours it seemed) about those days whenever they would visit each other. Those skills he learned as a successful team player were later useful to be part of a bigger team—the US Navy.
He graduated from Annapolis and married Joan Norma Orr on June 1, 1956. His accomplishments include: Captain of the USS Mount Hood, the last Marine Director of the Panama Canal Company and the first Marine Director of the Panama Canal Commission, Commander of the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command in Panama, and the U.S. Naval Attaché with the US embassy in the country of Uruguay.
Other places he and his family were stationed include: The Azores, Cuba, and the Philippine Islands. He had 14 years and 3 months of sea duty.
After John retired in 1989, Joan and John settled in Tallahassee, Florida.
John was an avid recreational scuba diver and he logged over 1,500 dives in his lifetime. He had a passion for diving and underwater photography. Not a proficient spear fisherman, he “shot” pictures instead.
He was a Master PADI instructor and passed on his love of diving to his two children – Kathryn and John-Shannon – as well as his wife, Joan. His children are convinced that one reason he wanted them to learn to dive was to carry his photography equipment for him.
His wife started diving at the age of 60 as part of a pact with friend Petie Evans; her husband, Jim, was a 1956 Annapolis classmate. The two couples had maintained their friendship over the years.
John and Joan frequented the Cayman Islands’ beautiful diving spots at any opportunity as well as went diving in other places for over 30 years. John continued to dive until he was 80 years old. His last dive with his children was on his 80th birthday in Antigua. He went zip lining to boot while they were there as well!
John wanted his final resting spot to be in the ocean in the Cayman Islands joining his wife Joan who passed away in 2006. His children – Kathryn (Mark) Voigt and John-Shannon (Monica) Thurber will be honoring that wish with a private service.
Editor’s note: Previous winners of the Johnny Thurber Memorial Scholarship were Hanna Jones, Mya Pargeon and Elise Boulton.