NOTAM 07-2012

Dear Golden Eagles,

I am very saddened to report that Rear Admiral J. L. "Doc" Abbot died at Goodwin House, Alexandria, VA, on Friday, August 10, 2012, age 94. He is survived by his sons, Captain J. Lloyd Abbot, III, USN (Ret), and Admiral Steve Abbot, USN (Ret), both Naval Aviators, their spouses, and five grandchildren, two of whom are Naval Aviators. His funeral service is scheduled for 10:30 am, Wednesday, September 26, at the U. S. Naval Academy Chapel, followed by burial in the Naval Academy Cemetery, and a reception in the Bo Coppedge Room of Alumni Hall. 

RADM Abbot was born in Mobile, AL, on June 26, 1918, son of James Lloyd Abbot and Helen Taylor Abbot.  After graduating from Murphy High School, and spending a single year at Spring Hill College in Mobile, he entered the U. S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1939.  In June 1939, he was commissioned Ensign, U. S. Navy, and assigned to USS Gilmer (DD-233) in Norfolk, VA.  There, he met Marjorie Grubbs, daughter of Charles and Dorothy Grubbs.  They were married on June 21, 1941, in Mobile, AL, while he was in flight training.  Assigned to the Pacific Theater during World War II, he flew in the Island Campaign from 1942 to 1944, operating from Wallis, Apamama and Funafuti Islands, flying the OS2U Kingfisher and the SBD Dauntless.  He was Commanding Officer of VS-66 as a Lieutenant from Mar 1943 – March 1944.  Following the war he transitioned to the F4U Corsair, and commanded the Green Pawns of VF-42 assigned to the Franklin D Roosevelt in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.  Subsequent operational commands included VU-4, USS Valcour (AVP-55), and USS Intrepid (CVA-11).  Selected to flag rank in 1966, he was assigned as Commander of the U. S. Naval Antarctic Support Force, operating half of the year from Christchurch, New Zealand, and flying the ski equipped C-130 Hercules onto the ice at McMurdo Sound Station.  His November 1967 article in National Geographic magazine chronicles the challenges of night operations on the Antarctic continent.  The Abbot Ice Shelf is named in his honor.  Subsequent flag posts included Commander, Carrier Division SIXTEEN, and Inspector General, U. S. Atlantic Fleet. 

RADM Abbot retired to Mobile, AL, in 1974, and remained active in civic and fraternal organizations, serving on the boards of the USS Alabama Commission, the Retired Officers Association, the Naval Institute, the Museum of Naval Aviation Foundation, the Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Mobile Chamber of Commerce.  On November 11, 2011, he was named “Patriot of the Year” by the Mobile Chamber of Commerce.  Continuing his lifelong love of aviation, he was an enthusiastic general aviation pilot, flying his Cirrus SR-20 named “Vacalele” to destinations such as the Tailhook Convention in Reno, NV, the Cayman and Bahamas Islands, Oshkosh and the FBO at Bay Minette for cheap gas.  His last landing in May 2012, was a coupled ILS to a “squeaker” at Bates Field in Mobile.  He developed a well deserved reputation as an entertaining speaker, and was continuously in demand for his series of educational lectures entitled "Special Training for Fighter Pilots" which included "Swiv" and "Moses in the Promised Land."  He is predeceased by Marjorie Grubbs Abbot, and his beloved daughter, Maro, and by his second wife Margaret White Abbot, a Murphy High schoolmate, whom he married after Marjorie died in 1974. 

 “ Doc “ Abbot never wavered in his full time commitment to the Tailhook Association and to the Golden Eagles. He had already made his reservations for Hook 2012 in Reno, lined up his family foursome for the Hook Golf Tournament, and was looking forward to joining the Golden Eagles for our Reunion in Scottsdale. Another of the Greatest Generation has made his Last Take-Off. He will be missed.

In sadness,

Fred Lewis, Pilot

With grateful appreciation to ADM Steve Abbot for his assistance in the preparation of this NOTAM .