Easterwood, Jesse L.

Jesse Lawrence Easterwood (1888-1919), known as Red, a veteran World War I aviator, and pioneer in military aviation, was born 5 Dec. 1888 in Wills Point, Tex . In 1905, he enrolled in Texas A & M College, now Texas A & M University, as a member of B Company Infantry . Very popular with the other cadets, Easterwood also played second base on the college baseball team .

Easterwood left college in 1909 to become a businessman in Mexia, Tex. In 1917, however, on the day the United States declared war on Germany, Easterwood sold his business and volunteered as an aviator . He received his early training at Pensacola, Fla., and was one of the very first Americans to qualify as a naval aviator . He served as an instructor at Pensacola briefly, then was transferred to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for engineering training.

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