Art Joquel
| Date and Place of Birth: | April 24, 1893 St. Louis, MO |
| Date and Place of Death: | November 2, 1918 Barron Field, Forth Worth, TX |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Catcher |
| Rank: | Second Lieutenant |
| Military Unit: | US Army Air Service |
| Area Served: | United States |
Arthur L. “Art” Joquel, son of August and Stella
Joquel, was born on April 25, 1893 in St. Louis, Missouri. A renowned
catcher, football player and bowler, he was playing for the Hartfords
team in 1908. Joquel graduated from McKinley High School in 1910, played
for the Harrison Athletics in 1911 and joined the Wagner Electric
Corporation in 1912.
In January 1914, Joquel was signed by scout Al Ward
and joined the Cedar Rapids Rabbits of the Class D Central Association,
where he played under veteran Belden “Pa” Hill. In 11 games, he batted
.200 and was released at the end of May, being picked up by the
Burlington Pathfinders of the same league. Joquel played no games for
Burlington before requesting his release and joined the Salina Coyotes
of the Class D Kansas State League. He played 12 games and batted .214
before leaving the team joining the Strawberry Point, Iowa, independent
team.
Joquel returned to St. Louis and worked as a
mechanical draughtsman with the Wagner Electric Corporation He continued
to play baseball with the Wagners team, leading them to the St. Louis
Municipal League championship in 1917.
On June 2, 1917, Joquel married Evelyn Woodward of
Steelville, Missouri. On December 22, of the same year he left for San
Antonio Aviation Field to serve with the US Army Air Service. By July,
he was at Kelly Field, Texas, and moved on to Barron Field, Fort Worth,
later in the year.
On November 1, 1918, 25-year-old Second Lieutenant
Joquel was on a training flight with a young aviation cadet, when the
biplane ran into trouble and crashed. Miraculously, the cadet escaped
uninjured, but Art Joquel was mortally injured and died at Barron Field
hospital the following day.
Joquel was buried at Valhalla Cemetery, Bel-Nor,
Missouri. On February 9, 1919, his widow, Evelyn, gave birth to their
son, Arthur L. Joquel, Jr. Evelyn and young Arthur soon moved to
California, where Arthur attended Manual Arts High School in Los
Angeles. A colourful character, Arthur was an author and educator in the
fields of anthropology, world history, United Nations studies, and
Elizabethan drama. He taught in public high schools and community
colleges, in California and Arizona. He wrote nearly fifty science
fiction short stories, published a scifi magazine and was known to some
of the most famous scifi authors. He organized two future studies groups
and a desire for world peace. He passed away in 1974, aged 55.
Date Added March 26, 2020
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