Stephen Alvin Wooten, Jr. was born in Macclesfield, Edgecombe County, July 13, 1922, the first son of Stephen Absalom (1890-1982) and Georgeanna Elizabeth Wooten (1894-1977). He studied at N. C. State College in 1940 and then ECTC in 1941. At ECTC, he participated in the Civilian Pilot Training course coordinated through the school. He pursued secondary training at Lumberton, N.C. and New Orleans, Louisiana, before serving as an instructor in the Civilian Pilot Training Program in Lumberton.
Wooten visited the campus briefly in May of 1943 before taking his commission as a second lieutenant with the U. S. Army Air Corps Transport Command, Second U.S. Air Corps Ferrying Command at the Newcastle, Delaware Army Air Base. Reportedly, while a part of the Ferry Command, he transported “bombers all over this country, Mexico, South America, England, and Africa.”
Wooten died, along with five others, when their B-17 Flying Fortress crashed in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, on December 29, 1943. His remains were buried at the family cemetery in Macclesfield.
Wooten was the last of 10 alumni to fall in the line of duty in 1943, making it by far the school’s most mournful year during WWII. The following two years, 1944-1945, by comparison saw the loss of a dozen more. With the first two lost in 1942, O. D. Andrews and John C. Johnston, a total of 24 ECTC alumni sacrificed their lives in the armed forces during WWII. Various memorial services, beginning with one on campus in May of 1944, remembered them.
Sources:
- Brown, Rosalie. “From The Armed Forces.” Teco Echo. February 19, 1944. P. 2. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37933
- “Lieut. S. A. Wooten Killed In Flying Fortress Crash.” Robesonian. January 5, 1944. P. 1.
- McInnis, Sarah. “Memorial Service Held To Honor War Dead.” Teco Echo. May 26, 1944. Pp. 1, 4. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37940
- “Two Flight Instructors Join Ferrying Command.” Robesonian. January 12, 1943. P. 6.
- “With The Armed Forces.” Teco Echo. May 7, 1943. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37922
Related Materials
Stephen Alvin Wooten, Jr. Image Source: East Carolina Yearbooks, Tecoan 1941. UA50-01. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
Stephen Alvin Wooten, Jr. Image Source: Agromeck 1940, Student yearbook for North Carolina State College.
Stephen Alvin Wooten, Jr.’s Draft Registration Card. Image Source: U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947.Ancestry.com
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 5/6/2022