My dad Jerry McMillin died on 12-21, Tuesday morning. He was a giant in my life, taught me to tie my shoes, model, build engines and vehicles, to fly, and learned a ton about life from him. He was 88 years old.
Dad was born in a house in Lawrenceville, Illinois in February of 1933. He got a glider from his Aunt Leona that he glided carefully resisting the urge to give it a big toss because he knew he could never repair it, he was about 3 then. He built models his whole life, grandpa was in the Navy in WWII as a SeaBee in the Pacific and landed on Saipan, the Navy had the good models and he sent dad two Cleveland kits of full balsa in which dad built the Thunderbolt and won a ribbon at the fair. He flew Stunt, Scale and Speed and ran with such as Dave Cotton, Bud Brown, Ted Black, Harry Latshaw, John Leach, flying all events. I have an A Speed model called the White Swan he built with a McCoy RR .19.
He joined the Navy in 1950 when he was 17 and finished High School in boot camp. He rated a Machinist Mate and ultimately ranked a Petty Officer 2nd Class. He was a mechanic in VP-6 on Neptunes, Air Crewman, and went to Flight Engineer school crewing that position ultimately. The Navy had hobby shops on the land bases and he built a P2V Neptune and F-90 Dyna Jet CL models of note, but I think the Warrior was a favorite because there are a few pictures of a couple of different ones. He transferred to VF-194 where on the USS Boxer they fought the Commie Hoard through mid to late 1953 until after the cease fire when he was mustered out after deciding not to re-up and used his GI Bill to learn to fly at O'Neil's Airport outside Lawrenceville.
He flew for Vincennes Home Improvement after instructing at Frank O'Neil's under Earl Leach, flew lots of cool stuff like ferried an A-26 from Davis Monthan to indiana and P-51's from Indiana to Florida. He flew the DC-3 for Southern Airways of Atlanta, then Green Construction's Howard Super Ventura and then Howard 500 before getting hired at TWA in 1964.
We flew a lot of models in Chicago in 1964 to 1966 once he was on TWA. I learned to fly on a Ringmaster Jr with a Hope 19 on a U-Reely. He just rolled out enough line length to meet the weather conditions! He built a bunch of models at that time and two Warriors and a Testors senior were mine after being handed down. I learned the basics on these and they lasted into our move to California. I still have a Squaw and DeBolt Continental he built then, not a scratch or tear from that good old airport dope... brushed on. Dad was a master at brushing and thinned it to perfection then could tip and cross stroke perfectly. We later had a wooden cabin cruiser he painted annually, he liked it!
Once in SoCal he was big into Stunt and built a Magician to learn the "new" pattern and then a Smoothie in which he modified beautifully and competed extensively, narrowly missing the finals at the Los Al Nats in 1967. His flying partner then was Bill Rutherford and I recall him saying they were robbed, he missed the final too flying an orange Stingray.
Dad then built a modified Shark 45 called AMA 68 because that was the big address decals on the wing. He flew that extensively too competing against the best in SoCal at the time. Tome Warden, Keith Trostle, Bill Rutherford, Dick Williams, Bart Klapinski, Jim Mayfield, etc...
Then dad bought Staggerwing Beech and modeling became less all engaging for him.
He raced in the 1970 Reno Air races, was an official, a timer, and judge at aerobatic contests, record setter, had an interest in a flight school and taught me to fly. We had a fleet of Citabrias, our newest a 7KCAB with inverted fuel and oil system and 150 hp which iloved to do acro in, i'm sure dad was getting sick but he just kept showing me the ropes. I know he didn't like the extended inverted stuff, because I now don't either!
Dad had many interests, water skiing, camping, shooting, boating offshore, traveling with mom to far flung countries around the globe, and his beloved Jaguar show car stable of E-Types while continuing his career at TWA. He was one the first checked out on the L-1011, the 767 ETOPS operation, and settled into a long stint as L-1011 captain in Los Angeles. All the while able to support and encourage four children in their selected callings and hobbies.
He retired from TWA off the 747 to Florida, though mom wouldn't let him sell the Huntington Beach house we gew up in, so they became Bi-Coastal on west coast Florida and west coast California! In Florida dad again indulged his boat and airplane thing, and very nice Riva 24 with Bravo II 454 Mercury for power and a Stinson Station Wagon worthy for showing. He picked up RC flying and flew several times a week with his old childhood friend Harry Latshaw that had retired near them from Allison in Indianapolis.
The dementia set in slowly, being close to a man with high level critical thinking and operating skills with machines over the decades makes one astute at seeing the decline, something that I did not enjoy it being my position. He quit flying when he was 75 but kept his CFI current and gave guys their BFR's in the area. He quit boating and eventually the two houses and traveling were too much and his favorite house in Florida was sold, his boat sold, his motorcycle he rode across the country solo the summer of his airline retirement all went. I did fly the Stinson home to SoCal and taught my youngest up to solo in it, though he still hasn't soloed. It soon went too.
Finally he was flying electric RC at the local park in Costa Mesa, enjoying the drive there and back as well as to the hobby shop and coffee with his old Huntington Beach friends and Donut Derelicts with the Jag or Ferrari. But then it happened fast and the trip to a contest here in Tucson in 2019 seemed to mark the beginning of a fast decline. He enjoyed his trip, loved our house and could recall all of his old friends but it was obvious his dementia was now ever present. Six months ago he and mom moved to a memory center portion of a home for the elderly, she sold her house and about two weeks ago he stopped getting up out of bed. Eventually he couldn't swallow. I knew my giant was going to pass on. I saw him, spoke to him and he could hear me. I thanked him for a great life and example. He held on a long time, but his end of life decree demanded no artificial means for food and drink, he went a week without drinking, tough old guy.
So, a shorter version wouldn't do I didn't think. I left out so much to make it readable, but if you knew Jerry I'm sure you had your own memories of him, his funny way of putting things serious and humorous, his generosity, smile and happy demeanor. So long Dad, see you in a little while.
Chris McMillin