John Wilfred MCCURDY

John Wilfred McCurdy was born on 22 March 1916 in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California to Leo Carroll McCurdy and Wilhelmina Poke. John attended Cerritos Grammar School in Glendale until 1928; Roosevelt Junior High School, also in Glendale, until 1930. He attended Glendal High School until 1935. There is a published book from the High School with a poem by John in it. After High School, John did not have the money to go to college because of the depression. From January of 1935 until January of 1941 he was a crew member on deck and in the engineroom of various Matson Navigating Company ships as well as Oceanic SS Co and Union Oil of CA. From January of 1941 until January of 1942 John attended University of Southern California studying to be a draftsman. He also worked for Aluminum Co. of America at the same time. From then until June of 1949 he was a Marine Engineer and Guarantee Maritime Engineer for various shipping lines including Luckenback SS CO.; American Hawaiian Grace Line; Deconhil SS CO; Moller SS. Co. of Great Britain and French Sheel Oil CO. From June 1949 until September 1949 he attended Officer Training School in New London Connecticut (DUINS). He then was an Assistant Naval Engineer on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Klamath. He 1950 he was again attending MIO School in New London as an Inv. Officer and Boiler Inspector. He did the same work in Norfolk VA from December 1950 until March 1952 at which time he was transferred to Portland, Oregon where he and his family stayed until May of 1955. He was assigned to the U.S.C.G.C. (Cutter) Potchartrain as the Executive Officer until September of 1957. He then was the MIO in Long Beach and San Pedro California until 1961. The family moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he was S.I.M. and S.I.O. until they moved to Yokohama Japan in 1963 where he was the Officer in Charge until 1966. John was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Maritime, Portland, Oregon; the Society of Port Engineers and the Propeller Club in Yokohama and Tokyo, During World War II he served in the U.S. Merchant Marines as an Engineering Officer in the Pacific and Atlantic areas. He was decorated for those areas and also received a commendation dated November 1956 for the rescue of aircraft survivors at sea while attached to USCGC Pontchartrain. John received promotions including LT in June of 1949; LTCDR on 26 August 1952 and CDR on 1 July 1959.

John married Margaret Agnes Carney on 13 January 1947 in San Francisco, California. They had three children Colleen Ann bn 16 May 1948, John Carroll born 30 June 1953 and Martin Kevin born 8 May 1962.

John enjoyed writing and completed a novel called "The Ship Manchurian". He also enjoyed hiking, swimming in Lake Pond Orielle, going to the movies and doing crossword puzzles.

John died on 12 August 2000 at the home of his daughter in Lake Oswego, Oregon with his family around him.

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