RODNEY R. JAMES, ENS, USN

Rodney James '49

Date of birth: August 23, 1926

Date of death: October 10, 1950

Age: 24

Lucky Bag

From the 1949 Lucky Bag:

Rodney James

Boulder, Colorado

(continued from J. D. Dickson) "The Jess" crawled out from under a Colorado Boulder, adjusted the vine leaves in his already thinning and retreating locks, and jumped off to see what this Navy stuff was all about. He brought with him a dry wit and a fair repertoire of sea stories, both of which helped to while away the long winter evenings—between bridge hands, that is. His varied interests ran from sailing to sleeping, with emphasis somewhat on the latter, to spending a good deal of time occupied with deep reflections on the caprices of the female mind. All in all, it has been a grand four years, and neither of us would have missed it for anything, because there were times when we almost did.

John D. Dickson's entry:

This happy face belongs to one half of a small operational unit that was formed by a rather capricious coagulative process during 49's allotted four years. "The Dix" wound up at Navy after attending schools in Canada and the U. S., bringing with him a marvelous "here today," philosophy which stood him in good stead when the going got tough or when his varied love life got out of hand. Dix was never one to worry, particularly about the vagaries of the various powers, and as a result weathered the usual tribulations and trials by error of midshipmen with a minimum of strain. He had plenty of time to satisfy his prodigious appetite for reading anything but an assignment, and managed to get in almost as much extra-curricular sack time as the other half of the unit, one Jesse James, under whose countenance this short saga is concluded. (Continued under R. R. James.)

Rodney was also a member of the 3rd Battalion staff (winter set) and an officer of the Naval Academy Christian Association.

Rodney James

Boulder, Colorado

(continued from J. D. Dickson) "The Jess" crawled out from under a Colorado Boulder, adjusted the vine leaves in his already thinning and retreating locks, and jumped off to see what this Navy stuff was all about. He brought with him a dry wit and a fair repertoire of sea stories, both of which helped to while away the long winter evenings—between bridge hands, that is. His varied interests ran from sailing to sleeping, with emphasis somewhat on the latter, to spending a good deal of time occupied with deep reflections on the caprices of the female mind. All in all, it has been a grand four years, and neither of us would have missed it for anything, because there were times when we almost did.

John D. Dickson's entry:

This happy face belongs to one half of a small operational unit that was formed by a rather capricious coagulative process during 49's allotted four years. "The Dix" wound up at Navy after attending schools in Canada and the U. S., bringing with him a marvelous "here today," philosophy which stood him in good stead when the going got tough or when his varied love life got out of hand. Dix was never one to worry, particularly about the vagaries of the various powers, and as a result weathered the usual tribulations and trials by error of midshipmen with a minimum of strain. He had plenty of time to satisfy his prodigious appetite for reading anything but an assignment, and managed to get in almost as much extra-curricular sack time as the other half of the unit, one Jesse James, under whose countenance this short saga is concluded. (Continued under R. R. James.)

Rodney was also a member of the 3rd Battalion staff (winter set) and an officer of the Naval Academy Christian Association.

Loss

Rodney was lost when his Hellcat fighter crashed near Corpus Christi, Texas, on October 10, 1950.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

His middle name is Roach from findagrave and death certificate
As a sophomore at Boulder High School in 1942, Rodney was on the track team. He was praised in the newspaper by Coach Clyde Gelwick as one of two sophomores who were named for the distance runs. As a junior, Rodney sang in the senior choir and was a member of the dramatics club.
His father was Lloyd, an electrical engineer for a public utility, and mother Helen. In the 1940 census, they also listed that they had adopted their 13-year-old niece, Barbara Winterbouer.

Rodney was survived by his parents and is buried in Colorado.

He is not mentioned in the 1949 Class History.