Posted by Terry Powers on January 7, 2023:

JAMES D. PRESCOTT 1949 Cullum No. 17156-1949 | August 14, 1993 | Died in San Antonio,TX Interred in Ft. Sam Houston Cemetery, San Antonio TX James Delahunt Prescott was born in Cleveland, OH on 12 Sep 1925, to Joseph William and Dorothy Delahunt Prescott. He graduated from Cathedral Latin High School in Cleveland in 1942. After a short stint in the Army, awaiting his appointment to West Point, he entered the Academy in 1944. He was an active member of the Glee Club, president of the Pistol Team and en­joyed all sports. After graduating in 1949, he joined the Air Force and took flight training at Randolph AFB, San Antonio, TX, and Williams AFB, AZ. Jim met Irene McKinney, from El Paso, TX, in 1948, during a cadet summer trip to El Paso. They married in 1950 and over the next six and a half years became the proud parents of six wonderful children, who kept both of them quite busy. After his first assignment at Goodfellow AFB, San Angelo, TX, where Jim was an instructor pilot in the T-6 program, they were transferred to Williams AFB, AZ. Jim was very eager to learn how to fly the F-86 jets and eventually became a fighter pilot instructor. In his later years, he told one of his daughters about his engine dying just as he landed on a small auxiliary field in the middle of the Arizona desert on his daily "rounds." Another time, he had to quickly land a plane that had caught on fire and then jump out with his parachute pack still strapped on - a hard landing. The best memory was playing "tag" in the sky at incredible speeds with another pilot and miles of clouds to "hide" behind. "Couldn't you have run into each other?" she asked. "Probably not," he answered. All in a day's work. During those years, his first two daughters, Sally and Dorothy, were born. The year 1953 found the Prescotts in Spokane, WA, where Jim joined the 440th Fighter Interceptor Squadron before being transferred to Landstuhl AFB, Germany. They lived at Ramstein housing for four years, had two more daughters (Lori and Mary), made many friends, and kept the other fighter pilots happy by preparing Mexican dinners for them. There also were occasional emergency calls to take to the sky to escort unauthor­ized Russian planes out of the West German air zone. But off duty, the family took every opportunity to see Europe. Their new VW van took them to Spain, Naples, Florence, and Rome, Holland when the tulips were in bloom, and on a tour of both West and East Germany. Other highlights for them were visiting Munich's Hofbrau Haus, the German Octoberfest, and Berchtesgaden, and skiing in Garmisch. They traveled to Sweden and Denmark, where they bought much Danish teakwood furniture which is still in the family today. A sad and so­bering tour of Auschwitz only deepened Jim's appreciation for our freedoms in this country. They returned to the U.S. by way of Texas A&M in 1958, where Jim received his master's degree in industrial engineer­ing. Their fifth and sixth children were born here, twins: their only son, Jim Jr., and their fifth daughter, Josie. In 1960, it was off to George AFB, near Victorville, CA. Jim was the procurement officer for five years and continued to get in his flying time. He served in Viet Nam for one year in 1965, doing psychological warfare in the U-10s while Irene returned to her home­town, El Paso, TX, with their six children. His last military assignment was during 1966--1968 at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, CO, where he retired after 20 full and busy years in the Air Force. Jim was blessed with an enormous amount of energy and enthusiasm, so retirement was not really retirement. He pursued a law degree at the University of Texas in Austin, received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree, passed the bar in 1970, and joined the law offices of IBM. Jim finished his professional career as an at­torney for the Veteran's Administration in Washington, DC, retiring for the second time in 1983. Jim's outgoing ways and friendliness brought many visitors to their home. He loved golf, skiing, music, and travel. He was a great encourager and believed in people's potential. Jim died in 1993 from an inherited family disease called Amyloidosis, now be­ing researched at the Mayo Clinic, and is buried at Ft. Sam Houston Cemetery, San Antonio, TX. He is survived by his wife, six children, ten grandchildren, and his brother, Bill Prescott. He was preceded in death by his sister, Bernadette Burke. He would be proud to know his son-in-law, LTC Mark Werner, is currently serv­ing in Iraq, as well as his grandson, SPC Nathan Werner, who is on his second tour of duty in Iraq. Our family is deeply grateful for the many years of Jim's service to, and love for, his country and for the love that continues to pour out among our families. - Jim's family

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