Army Tech 5 Ralph "Rosie or Red" Edwin Scholl Jr. was born in Manhattan, New York on December 14, 1920, the son of Ralph Edwin Sr. (1895-1958) and Pearl Johnston (1900-1975). Ralph Jr. was born in Brooklyn on December 14, 1920 and moved back to his father's hometown of Pensacola in 1932. Rosie's grandfather was Captain James Lawrence Scholl (1852-1919) of Company "A" of the Confederate Army and his uncle was James L. Jr. (1885-1941) who was the proprietor of the Pensacola Boiler Works. Rosie's father supported the family as a painter in 1930 in Brooklyn and as a plumber in 1940. He and Pearl were married in 1919 and however, Pearl would remarry in 1936 to a WWI Veteran George E. Rumble (1895-1959). George would retired as a mechanic from civil service at NAS.
As for Rosie, he would graduate from Pensacola High School in the Class of 1937 after lettering in football (1936) and basketball (1937). By 1940, he was a truck driver in New Orleans, LA while his father was there working as a painter. In 1941, he was with the Pensacola News Journal under the apprenticeship of Henry Chairselle in the composing room and living with his mother at 114 North "E" Street. Then came the war and Rosie enlisted on October 24, 1942 and was sent to Camp Blanding, Florida for processing. In January 1944, he was assigned to the 1819th Aviation Ordnance Company of the 68th Aviation Support Group that was stationed in Burma. The Pensacola News Journal published an article of Rosie having a "grand time" at a party at the Red Cross Club dubbed the "Monsoon Lagoon." The attendees were the British Nursing Corps, Red Cross Personnel, and the soldiers of the Army Air Corps.
However, on May 27, 1945 he was returning to his base in Burma from a R&R flight to India. He never showed up. The newspaper articles never mentioned a missing plane that would indicate a crash. Therefore, his death was listed as a DNB (Death Non Battle) and his name was placed on the "Tablets of the Missing" in Manila where they remain today.
Captain James L. Scholl's widow is Rosalee (or Rosa Leigh) Jones who married James on April 1, 1877 in Warrington, Florida. She was living at 805 North Reus Street when she was approved for her widow’s pension effective September 2, 1921 for the amount of $300.00 per year. Throughout his life James did not feel it was right for him to receive a pension for his Confederate military services but after his death his widow needed the money for survival. In order for her to qualify she needed several witnesses to attest to his military services during the war. One was his brother William Henry Scholls of Miami, Florida who enlisted in the Confederate States Marine Corps at Drewy’s Bluff, VA on April 3, 1862 as a musician in Company C of Captain R. T. Thomas. He was paroled in Greensboro, NC on May 1, 1865. His brother William stated that James served in Company "A" of the Confederate States Marine Corps having enlisted on February 24, 1864 as a drummer (musician) and served until Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in April 1865. This should have been the same company as Lt. Daniel Gonzalez Brent of Pensacola. Another witness was Robert Simpson of Pensacola who enlisted himself in Richmond, VA on February 27, 1862 in Setsher (?) Battery of Pegram’s Battalion of Light Artillery.
Another witness was most likely a brother or cousin Jacob S. Scholls who was born in Easton, PA in 1820 and married Bridget Thompson on January 31, 1847. He enlisted in the USMC on August 27, 1844 and was stationed at the Pensacola Navy Yard until 1856. He enlisted in the CSMC on March 25, 1861 and was appointed First Sergeant on board the CSS Virginia. He died at Camp Beall at Drewy’s Bluff on August 31, 1862 and was buried in the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.
James Lawrence Scholls was a bar pilot in 1893 while living at 219 North Cevallos Street. By 1905, he was working for the bar pilot association at 715½ South Palafox Street while supporting his children Eliza, Ethel, James, Robert W., a clerk for Armour Packaging Company, Rosa, Susie, a student, and William, a machinists.
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