Another one of those stories that are snippets of time but teases the sentiments from the heart’s strings. A story from a century ago of a life taken too early.

Joseph Ellis Donaldson went by Ellis his whole life. Not sure why, but his parents called all their sons by their middle name. Ellis was born 28 August 1896 in Park City, Summit, Utah. He is the brother to my David Delos Donaldson. I have written of their family and their relationship with the railroad and finding their way to Ogden, Weber, Utah.

In their time in Ogden, the Beck family had also moved there from Cheyenne, Laramie, Wyoming with the railroad. One of those boys was George Carl Beck. George was born 8 April 1896 in Cheyenne. Ellis and George became friends. The photo above includes Gertrude Shaefer who was one of their friends as well.

George registered for the draft on 5 June 1917 in Ogden. Blue eyes, light hair, medium build, and medium height. He was then a private in the Utah National Guard and had been for 1 month. He was an electrician working for Dr. Fredrick Vining Fisher.

While in the military, he learned how to fly an airplane. He was in the Army 361 Aero Sqadron Air Service based out of Salt Lake City. Commissioned 22 April 1918. George went to Camp Mills in Mineola New York where he learned to fly at Roosevelt Field. He also acquired a Bachelor of Arts. For a time he worked for Ogden Picture Corp doing “moving picture.” George even took Ellis for a flight on at least one occasion.

I am not clear on what happened or whose plane he was in. Ellis simply wrote for the above photo, “Ellis Donaldson and my boyhood buddy Lt. George C. Beck. Killed in plane tragedy summer 1919–Salt Lake.” George died 21 June 1919 in Salt Lake City. George’s death certificate states the cause of death, “Fracture at base of skull (Accidental– Airplane fell to earth)” The death certificate states he was an “Aviator” working for J. Gilmer, apparently he was no longer in the military. Aged 23 years, 2 months, 3 days. His father was the informant for the information on the death certificate.

The tragedy of a life cut short strikes me. Ellis’ short comment highlighted buddy and plane tragedy. John Greenleaf Whittier comes to mind, “For all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.'”