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S1c Albert Eugene Simpson
Albert Eugene Simpson was born May 1, 1921 in Homer, New York about 25 miles south of Syracuse. His mother, Beatrice Hill Simpson, was a homemaker and his father, Vernon A. Simpson, worked odd jobs.
By 1930 the family had moved 35 miles west-southwest to Hector, New York on the east bank of Seneca Lake.
The Great Depression was hard for the family, which included six children. In 1939 the father was a construction laborer and both Albert and his brother Frank worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC was a federal jobs program for young men; both sons had completed 8th grade. The three men earned a combined $805 in 1939 – equivalent to about $17,100 in 2022 dollars.
The spring 1940 Census said the family lived 15 miles to the southwest at Tyrone, a town of 1,024.
Albert enlisted in the Navy on Oct. 15, 1940. He was a seaman first class on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941
Brother Frank enlisted in the Army about March 1940 and served until November 1945.
The youngest brother, Donald, born in 1931, also served in the Army.
Sources: The Rochester (New York) Democrat and Chronicle; the Elmira (New York) Gazette; the Watkins (New York) Review; Census; Navy muster roll; New York birth index. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.
NOTE: If you are a family member related to this crew member of the U.S.S. Arizona, or have additional information, pictures or documents to share about his life or service to our county please contact us through our FAMILY MEMBER SUBMISSION FORM.