Academy Flies Garrison Flag, Honors Crabtree ’42

A striking Garrison flag was hoisted on Phillips Exeter’s flagpole to honor the late Stephen Crabtree, class of 1942. Tuesday, April 10, marks the first annual raising of this flag. On April 10, 73 years ago, Crabtree died in combat, at the age of 20.

"Under the condition that the flag be flown each year to commemorate his uncle’s passing, Jones donated a scholarship to a student who has a particular interest in this aspect of history."

This year, Crabtree’s nephew, Stephen Jones, gifted Exeter this flag along with other artifacts collected throughout Crabtree’s lifetime. Under the condition that the flag be flown each year to commemorate his uncle’s passing, Jones donated a scholarship to a student who has a particular interest in this aspect of history.

Director of Institutional Advancement Morgan Dudley recognized the importance of this scholarship, saying, “The thunder that broke over the Crabtree home 73 years ago is unimaginable. And yet Steve Jones found a way to honor his uncle and his sacrifice by helping future Exonians. [He] has forged a connection between a current student to Exeter’s history and joins the history of the school, for all time, with the Crabtree family.”

Jones hopes PEA will fly the flag each year to honor the loss of Crabtree. “I’d like the school to agree to fly this flag on the campus every April 10, as long as the flag is in good enough physical condition,” Jones said.

According to Jones, the flag entered his possession after it was sent to his grandparents by the military to commemorate the loss of their son. He decided to contact Exeter with this request when he realized that these artifacts were not being put to use in his daily life. Jones realized that the objects that paid tribute to his late uncle were not being appreciated in his drawer “for decades,” so he then set out a plan to work in conjunction with his uncle’s alma mater.

After graduating on the honor roll from Exeter, Crabtree went on to attend Harvard College and pursue a career as a physician. Despite being a gifted pre-med student, his poor eyesight and even with his parents’ hesitation, Crabtree enlisted in the Army a short year later. “He never would have had to go to the service if he didn’t want to, but he wanted to,” Jones said. “Not only did he want, he persisted in overcoming a couple of objections to pursue it.”

Dudley also commended Crabtree on his true devotion to non sibi. “Stephen lived his life with a spirit of non sibi, in service to his country,” she said. “He voluntarily chose a difficult path, heading into harm’s way, because he believed in the cause.”

At first, Crabtree was relocated several times into different divisions and training programs, but by 1944, he had been placed in the 97th Infantry Division, responding to Allied plans to invade Japan. Yet, due to the severe American losses during the Battle of the Bulge, Crabtree’s division was sent to Europe instead.

Jones felt that it was important to create this commemoration, as Crabtree was a dedicated and passionate student at Exeter. Although he did not know his uncle, Jones knew many stories that showed his love for learning and his patriotism.

In explaining why he decided to go beyond donating to the Academy, Jones referenced the names of the wall next to the stage in the Assembly Hall, which also lists Crabtree’s name. “At this juncture basically, all those names are statistics, right? They’re just a bunch of names.” Jones said. “But every one of these names has a unique human story, and what I wanted to do in this case is to put in some life into this story of Stephen Crabtree.”

Although Jones has put in great effort to add more meaning into what his uncle’s name signifies at Exeter, many students were unaware that the flag was flown this Tuesday. When asked if she noticed the flag, lower Julie Mae Angevine responded, “No, I don’t even look at the flag.” Several students shared this sentiment, given that the only announcement made about the event was on ExeterConnect.

In addition to donating the Garrison flag, Jones donated several other items to library’s archives, including a Purple Heart decoration engraved with Crabtree’s name, original photographs and personal letters so that Crabtree’s memory will live on. “It is important for us to commemorate Mr. Crabtree because he exemplified so much that we value at Exeter,” Dudley said. “It is a miracle of the human spirit that tragedy sometimes inspires extraordinary generosity.”