James A. McDivitt, Commander in Early NASA Triumphs, Is Dead at 93
James A. McDivitt died peacefully at home in Virginia, surrounded by family and admirers, on September 24, 2018 at age 93.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Joan, three daughters, and three grandchildren.
A memorial lecture will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 4 p.m. in McDivitt’s honor, at the John F. Kennedy Library.
McDivitt received four degrees in four years from the U.S. Navy and from Harvard University. He commanded the U.S. Naval Reserve before his Navy service was terminated by the Air Force. In 1956, he received his first appointment in the Air Force. He served as Commander of the Space Program Office, Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, from 1957 to 1960 and Commander of the Air Research and Development Command, AFSC, from 1960 to 1962. After retirement from the Air Force he served as a consultant with the National Academy of Sciences at Princeton, Princeton University Press, the Naval Institute, and the Army Air Forces.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, in the Richard Nixon Library. The family will receive friends at the service.
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James McDivitt, 93, Military and Academic Leader, Dies
James McDivitt, a well-known and influential figure on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill and the U.S. military, died Friday at the age of 93.
McDivitt led the Air Force Office of Scientific Research from 1953 to 1958 and served as Commandant of the Air Force ROTC from 1959 to 1961. He was a professor at the Air Force Institute of Technology from 1961 to 1965, and at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Michigan in 1965.
“In 1952, he joined the Air Force, where he served in a wide variety of capacities including commander of the Flight Crew Training Group and deputy commander of the Air Force