Hugh Blanchard Baumann was born in Rahway, NY on April 3, 1924. He attended Rutgers University and joined the Navy in 1942. He was designated a Naval Aviator on October 9, 1945 and learned to fly Grumman Avengers at NAS North Island while with VT-5. He subsequently had an extensive career in the US Navy. He saw combat duty in the Korean War aboard the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) and the USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31). He would later become the commanding officer of Fighting Squadron 74 (VF-74, the Bedevilers) and would serve as operations officer for Carrier Division Three. Upon retirement he was an active and influential volunteer at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Capt. Baumann died on March 21, 1996 and is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.