Frank "Jesse" Otis (June 19, 1905 – January 11, 1937) was a

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

surgeon and flight surgeon for the

Massachusetts Air National Guard The Massachusetts Air National Guard (MAANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, an element of ...

's 101st Observation Squadron who was memorialized after his death when Otis Field was named after him.

Biography

Frank Otis was born on 19 Jun 1905 in Chicago, Illinois to Frank J. Otis, Sr. and Mabel Howe. Frank was an intern at the Boston City Hospital. He was a graduate of the Harvard University Medical School. He was also a member of the 101st Observation Squadron, based at Camp Edwards on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

. On January 11, 1937, while traveling to his parents' house in

Moline, Illinois Moline ( ) is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in the 2020 census, it is the largest city in Rock Island County and the List of municipalities in Illinois, ninth-most populous in Illinois outside ...

, his plane went down in the

Illinois River The Illinois River () is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River at approximately in length. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, the river has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins with the confluence of the Des Plaines ...

near Hennepin. Otis Air National Guard Base#World War II At the time of his death, he was a Second Lieutenant in the Air National Guard. The official military explanation says that he was killed on a cross country training mission, and this is backed up by the fact that he was flying a Douglas O-46A. In 1938, the airfield at Camp Edwards was named Otis Field after him.

References

United States Army officers Harvard Medical School alumni Military personnel from Chicago 1905 births 1937 deaths {{US-army-bio-stub