Gordon Blane King long wanted to serve in the Navy, his parents said after he died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941.

Mr. King was a seaman first class on the U.S.S. Arizona.

He was born Feb. 20, 1920 in Tennessee to William King, a poultry and cattle dealer, and Alice Bohanan King, a homemaker.

The boy attended Central High School in Knoxville for one year ending in 1935. By the time of the spring 1940 Census was working as a decorator, which at that time was the term often used to describe a painter, plasterer or interior decorator. He enlisted on Oct. 4, 1940.

He loved football but was too small to play, his mother said. He was 5-foot-7 and weighed 133 pounds.

After he enlisted, the family sent him the Knoxville newspaper so he could keep up with Central High and Tennessee games.

Another former Central High student, James Leon Bridges, also died on the Arizona. He was three years older than Mr. King. There’s no indication they knew each other before they ended up on the same battleship, though perhaps Mr. King had heard of Mr. Bridges’ football exploits. He was a fullback on Central’s undefeated 1935 team.

Two of Mr. King’s brothers served in the Army — Charles during World War II and Donald during the Korean War.

Sources: The Knoxville (Tennessee) News-Sentinel; The Knoxville Journal; Census; Navy enlistment records and muster roll; Defense Department; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs death files. This profile was researched and written on behalf of the U.S.S. Arizona Mall Memorial at the University of Arizona.