James Wickes '67 was killed on July 2, 1971 when the T-28 he was piloting crashed in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
From the Class of 1967's 50th Reunion Yearbook: "Jim, the son of a Baptist Minister, came to USNA from Moab, Utah, after a year at Baylor University. He brought with him, his western twang, a great attitude, strong values, infectious enthusiasm, and boundless determination. He immediately endeared himself to his company classmates as a loyal friend and leader and was, unquestionably, the most “squared away” of all the 20th Company Baggers.
"Encouraged by his uncle, John Jeffries, a Class of 1952 Naval Aviator, Jim set his sights on also becoming a Navy Pilot. He successfully navigated the rigors of Aeronautical Engineering, and experienced the happiest day of his Academy life when he received his flight training date in Pensacola. The second happiest day came when Jim, the 20th Company designated “motorhead”, took delivery of his brand new forest green 427 Corvette Stingray convertible in the spring of 1967.
"Following graduation, Jim headed to the beaches of San Diego for the last of the Bagger post-graduation bashes and then off to Pensacola. He proved to be a natural and progressed rapidly though training and received his wings in October 1968. Along the way, he met the love of his life, Sue Tenant, and they were soon married. Jim stayed in the training command as an instructor and then received orders to VA-122 at NAS Lemoore for A-7 training.
"On July 2, 1971, Jim volunteered to participate in the search for a private aircraft, which had gone missing on June 26. The aircraft was carrying four passengers, three of whom were Navy pilots from NAS Lemoore. Jim and an observer took off in a T-28 to conduct a visual search of an area east of Fresno in the rugged Sierra Nevada Mountains and subsequently crashed into a heavily wooded ridge. The observer survived but Jim was killed in the crash.
"Following a memorial service at NAS Lemoore, attended by many of his Academy classmates, Jim was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
We miss him but are consoled by the fact that he died doing what he loved, flying and helping!"
http://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/JAMES_R._WICKES,_LT,_USN
