Avenue of Heroes: Thomas Ashworth Jr.

Prepared by: Thomas and Stephen Ashworth (sons)

Lieutenant Thomas Ashworth Jr. was born in 1908 in Payette, Idaho, to Rev. and Mrs. Thomas Ashworth. His parents had immigrated from England in 1906, farming in Payette before his father became rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Butte, Montana.

Tom graduated from Payette High School in 1928, where he was a member of the Glee Club and varsity baseball team. One of five siblings, he had a sister and three brothers: Edward, who graduated from West Point and rose to the rank of Colonel; Robert, who also graduated from West Point and became a General; and Geoffrey, who followed their father into the Episcopal ministry.

After serving as a private in the Idaho National Guard from 1925 to 1927, Tom was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. At Annapolis, he enjoyed athletics and was captain of the baseball team. After graduating in 1931, he entered the fleet and served aboard the USS Saratoga, USS Maryland, USS Roper, and USS Evans before being ordered to flight training.

In 1933, Tom married Marjorie Valentine Hoyt of Butte. They welcomed their son, Thomas Ashworth III that same year in Pensacola, Florida, while Tom attended flight school. Their second son, Stephen Hoyt Ashworth, was born in Annapolis while Tom taught at the Naval Academy.

Tom received his wings of gold in 1935 and went on to serve aboard the USS Saratoga and USS Louisville. He later attended postgraduate school at the California Institute of Technology, earning a degree in aeronautical engineering. Following Caltech, the family moved to Coronado, where Tom reported to Squadron VB-6 aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6), which became the most decorated ship in World War II.

On Oct. 21, 1941, Tom lost his life in a night carrier landing accident off Pearl Harbor.

Marjorie Ashworth spent the rest of her life in Coronado, where she raised her sons and co-owned the David Harrison School. Both Thomas and Stephen graduated from Coronado High School and went on to become attorneys and judges of the California Superior Court. Thomas graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, and Stephen from San Jose State University. Today, Thomas resides in Point Loma, and Stephen lives in the Coronado home purchased by their mother after their father’s death.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Established in 2014, the program has honored 309 hometown heroes to date, with another 14 to be recognized on November 1, 2025. City staff and dedicated volunteers from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association, and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee the program’s operation.

The program was inspired in 2011, when the Coronado community spontaneously came together to honor the passage of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. As news spread, members of the local Rotary Club handed out American flags, and residents lined Fourth Street in tribute. As the procession neared the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting his fallen comrades. In that moment, it became clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That moment inspired the City to formalize the program, which officially launched in May 2015 with 18 banners. Since then, the Avenue of Heroes has served as a lasting reminder of Coronado’s deep military roots and enduring legacy of service.

In 2014, Coronado resident Toni McGowan, a devoted advocate for honoring local military members, helped transform the idea into a lasting tradition. Her tireless efforts led the City to designate State Route 282—Third and Fourth streets from Orange Avenue to Naval Air Station North Island—as the “Coronado Avenue of Heroes” and to adopt the companion banner ceremony.

McGowan also worked with the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association and other partners to have the Avenue of Heroes designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway, a tribute to the nation’s Armed Forces. The State of California granted this designation in January 2017. Although McGowan passed away in 2019, her dedication and vision continue to inspire the program today.