JAMES C. NORTON, 1LT, USMC
James Norton '57
Lucky Bag
From the 1957 Lucky Bag:
JAMES CHARLES NORTON
Dallas, Texas
Jim is a Texan — and true to the type. He spent a busy four years at Navy busily running down the rumor that someone locked the back door of the Alamo before Santa Anna got there. After spending a year at Rice, Naval Academy academics came easily to him, with the exception of a terrible year spent dizzily wandering through the basic steam cycle. Jim never could figure out what good a D.A. tank would do for him in a foxhole. While the rest of us poured over a hot sliderule, he used his spare time massacring the opposition in wrestling, judo and lacrosse. Never one to sweat the system, Jim used an easy manner and pleasant personality to win friends and influence a great variety of young women.
He was also a member of the 19th Company staff (fall).
JAMES CHARLES NORTON
Dallas, Texas
Jim is a Texan — and true to the type. He spent a busy four years at Navy busily running down the rumor that someone locked the back door of the Alamo before Santa Anna got there. After spending a year at Rice, Naval Academy academics came easily to him, with the exception of a terrible year spent dizzily wandering through the basic steam cycle. Jim never could figure out what good a D.A. tank would do for him in a foxhole. While the rest of us poured over a hot sliderule, he used his spare time massacring the opposition in wrestling, judo and lacrosse. Never one to sweat the system, Jim used an easy manner and pleasant personality to win friends and influence a great variety of young women.
He was also a member of the 19th Company staff (fall).
Loss
James was lost on October 4, 1960 when the F4D-1 Skyray jet he was piloting crashed near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
Other Information
From Find A Grave:
Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from the United States Naval Academy (1957), Jimmy headed off to ‘The Basic School’ at Quantico, Virginia. While there, Jimmy met and, in August 1957, married Maudine Adcock, a fellow Texan. Jimmy had every intention of becoming an Infantry Officer; however, as he continued on in the program, he became increasingly enamored with the Aviation option. Accordingly, after completing the ten-month course of instruction at The Basic School in June 1958, Jimmy received Orders taking him to Naval Air Station Pensacola to fulfill his new dream of becoming a Marine Aviator.
After successful completion of flight training at Pensacola, Florida, Jimmy then continued further training at Naval Air Station Chase Field in Beeville, Texas. While there, Jimmy’s son, Michael, was born in October of 1959. After completion of flight training at Beeville and upon earning his ‘Wings of Gold,’ Jimmy received orders to MCAS Cherry Point.
At MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina 1st Lt. Norton underwent specialized flight training and qualification as a Marine Corps Fighter Pilot. 1st Lt. Norton was assigned to VMF(AW)-531, The Gray Ghost Squadron, when an unfortunate and tragic aircraft accident took his life on October 4th, 1960
The reasons why 1st Lt. Norton’s F4D-1 SkyRay Fighter crashed into the woods on the Carteret-Craven County boundary are still, to this day, unknown. Station authorities at MCAS Cherry Point stated that 1st Lt. Norton had reported no difficulty as he radioed the control tower at 1410 hrs. requesting permission to enter the landing pattern. His aircraft was one of four F4D-1 SkyRay Fighters returning from a routine ordinance training mission at Onslow Beach (Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune), North Carolina.
When Lieutenant Norton’s aircraft was approximately 5 miles southeast of MCAS Cherry Point it suddenly, and abruptly, broke away from the formation and descended, level-winged and in a perfect glide path, into the Croatan National Forest. With no radar image and no further contact from Lt. Norton, a rescue helicopter was dispatched to search the surrounding area. Two hours later, at approx. 1610 hrs. the rescue helicopter reported finding the wreckage of Lieutenant Norton’s aircraft some 4 miles south of MCAS Cherry Point and approximately 300 yards from Hwy 70. It was determined that Lieutenant Norton died instantaneously from the injuries sustained in this accident.
Photographs
"1st Lt. James 'Jimmy' Norton. This was the last official Marine Corps photograph of my father before his death." - Michael Norton, 1/3/17
Related Articles
Herb Doby '57 was also part of the 19th Company Leadership Fall set. John Peace, III '57 was also a member of 19th Company.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
