Fredrick “Fred” Junior Dayley was born in Burley, Idaho, on Aug. 11, 1927, to Solomon Fredrick Dayley and Neva Viola Yearsley. He was born during the Great Depression and life was difficult. The Dayley family included nine brothers and three sisters.
His dad went to work for the WPA (Works Progression Administration) to help pay the notes on the farm and to feed the family. This was when he brought home a set of boxing gloves for his sons to start using. Unbeknownst to them, he was grooming them to fight. Fred recalled telling his dad that he was not mad at anyone. His father responded that you will be when you get hit. Fred said his dad was right.
Fred graduated from Burley High School in 1945 and joined the U.S. Navy. He traveled to Boise to board a train bound for the San Diego Naval Training Center in California.
After completing boot camp, Fred was assigned to the amphibious ship USS LSM-4 (Landing Ship Mechanized). The ship was being deployed to China, but the Captain, nearing retirement, wanted out of the Navy. His uncle was Under Secretary of the Navy. Magically, the ship’s orders were changed to Green Cove Springs, Fla.
The ship continued south, stopping for a layover in Acapulco, Mexico. They traveled through the Panama Canal before heading north toward its intended destination of New Orleans. Before arriving in New Orleans, however, the Captain secretly diverted the ship to Nassau, Bahamas, so he could visit his family.
From there, the ship departed for New Orleans and arrived during Mardi Gras. Fred was beginning to think that Navy life was one big vacation! He eventually transferred to the U.S.S. Achilles (ARL41), which was headed to Orange, Texas, for decommissioning.
It was at that time in his life when he met his partner for life, Joyce Theresa Roy. Fred was playing basketball for the Navy against the Cities Service Refinery team and wasn’t seeing any playing time. He spotted Joyce sitting in the stands behind him. He found out the high school team was playing the next night, and he told her he would be back. It took some persistence, but Fred finally won her hand and the couple married November 1, 1947.
After Fred was discharged from the Navy in 1948, the Dayleys moved north so that Fred could enroll at Idaho State College on the G.I. Bill.
With his coursework completed and Joyce’s father having had a stroke, the Dayleys returned to Vinton. Fred worked briefly for the Union Sulphur Co. before moving to the DuPont Sabine River Works Plant in Orange. After 31 years of service, Fred retired in 1985.
The Dayleys celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997 at the American Legion, Post 208, in Vinton. Fred joined the Legion in 1950 and began serving as the post Adjutant in 1965.
Joyce died in 1999 after 52 years of marriage. In her memory, Fred created the Joyce T. Dayley Memorial Scholarship. As the years went on, he made a scrapbook that held scholarship recipient photos and handwritten notes as mementos.
Fred also planned to create a scholarship beyond his lifetime through a gift of life insurance in his will. He died in September 2020 at 93 years old. The proceeds from his life insurance were used to establish the Fredrick J. Dayley Memorial Scholarship.
The Dayley Scholarships are designated for one female student and one male student from Vinton High School in consultation with the American Legion Post 208. A total of 20 students have received financial assistance through Joyce’s scholarship while Fred’s scholarship was awarded for the first time in the 2023-24 academic year.