Theodore G. Ellyson
Theodore Gordon Ellyson, USN (27 February 1885 - 27 February 1928), nicknamed "Spuds", was the first United States Navy officer designated as an aviator ("Naval Aviator No. 1"). Ellyson served in the experimental development of aviation in the years before and after World War I. He also spent several years before the war as part of the Navy's new submarine service. A recipient of the Navy Cross for his aviation service in World War I, Ellyson died in 1928 when his aircraft crashed over the Chesapeake Bay.
Read more about Theodore G. Ellyson: Early Life and Pre-aviation Naval Career, Naval Aviator Number One, World War I Service, Post-war Service and Death, Legacy