Ralph was born Nov. 14, 1924 to Joseph and Louise J. (Witt) Teynor and attended Trinity Catholic School and New Ulm High School.  He enlisted in the Navy on Dec. 2, 1942 due to his father’s advice (Army veteran of WWI), and a recruitment program with Warren Marti, a Navy carrier pilot. He attended Service Schools at Notre Dame (V-7 Midshipman), St. Mary’s – Winona (V-12 Program), Harvard (Cryptography), and Oriental Language School.  During a V-12 Specialist interview, he was asked if he spoke German. Ralph answered questions well and was selected since he “spoke German just like a native”. He studied Russian and was commissioned an Ensign, Communications Watch Officer. 

His first assignment was Command Intelligence – Pearl Harbor Code Room -Message Vault for Adm. C. Nimitz. He reviewed communication records sent before the Dec. 7, 1941 attack for a Senate investigation.  These records didn’t indicate that the President had advance warning of the attack. He coded and decoded official dispatches. His final assignment was in Shanghai where he monitored Russian radio communication. He was honorably discharged on June 29, 1946.

He attended University of Minnesota Dental School and served in Navy Dental Corps during Korean War (1950-51), and later had a dental practice.  In Feb. 1955 he married Mary Jean Haig and moved to Albany.  He served in Dental Corps Naval Reserve – Active and Inactive Duty until retirement (1984) when he was promoted to a Commander. Ralph hunted wild mushrooms and wanted to develop a method to grow morels. He enjoyed skiing until he was 85, touring wine country and traveling to Germany and Egypt. When asked what it was like to serve as a Communications Watch Officer, he said that he was “just doing the job that he was trained to do”.   Ralph was indeed a member of The Greatest Generation and will be missed by family and friends.

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]