James Edward Seay

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by JAMES JUDSON SEAY (SON) on October 26, 2022:

James Edward Seay 19 May 1933 -1 May 2022. Seay, James Edward (Jim) was a native of Mayfield, Kentucky, a small community located in the Jackson Purchase area of the western most part of the state. He was the second son of Robert Edward Seay and Louise Dossett Seay. Jim excelled in school and was the salutatorian of his high school class, the Treasurer for two years, as well as lettering on the varsity football and basketball teams for four years. In his senior year he was an All-State and All-Conference "Tackle" football player. In 1952 he received an Appointment from Congressmen Noble Gregory to the United States Military Academy, where he Graduated in 1955 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the USAF. Thanks to a blind date, Jim married the love of his life, Sue Cooper Stewart in Paducah, Kentucky, on 6 March 1956 (28 February 1934 -30 May 2015). In 1956 he completed student pilot training qualifying in the T-34, the T-28 and later the Lockheed C-130A aircraft while stationed in the now closed Malden Air Base Missouri, Greenville, AFB, Mississippi, and Blytheville, AFB, Arkansas. 1958-1961 while stationed at Stewart AFB Tennessee, Jim qualified as Pilot in Command (PIC) in the C-130A flying support and airborne missions as well as the C-130D (Ski equipped) in support of the Distant Early Warning Line (DEW) construction in Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. In 1962 Jim was selected for the Air Force Institute of Technology Civilian Institution Graduate program, he attended the University of Oklahoma, where he obtained a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering creating a natural progression to future research and development assignments. His thesis was titled Radiation Heat Transfer Through an Absorbing Medium. Promoted to Captain in 1963 (1963- 1966), he served on a utilization assignment as a Mechanical Engineer/ subsystem manager for the acquisition of Aerospace Ground Equipment in the F/RF-4C Program office at Wright Patterson AFB Ohio. In 1966-1968 Jim qualified in the Lockheed C-141 flying long over the water missions from Travis AFB California, to Hawaii, Guam, Philippines, Japan, and Vietnam, becoming an Aircraft Commander early in his tour. In 1968-1969, then Major Seay qualified as an Instructor Pilot (IP) / Instrument Flight Examiner (IFE) in the C-47 while stationed at Osan, AFB, Republic of Korea (ROK). He later spoke about flying ROK SF soldiers to Yeonpyeong Island and land on the packed beach sand when the tide was out. 1969-1971 Jim was the Development Engineer Branch Chief of Guidance and Reentry branch, Production Directorate, Foreign Technology Division, (FTD), now known as the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), Wright Patterson AFB Ohio 1971-1974 then LTC Seay served as the System Program Staff officer, worked as project officer in the office of the Assistant for Plans Management, Deputy for the Lockheed C-5A and later group leader of the airframe structures group. 1975-1977 Jim's culminating assignment was in headquarters USAF, the Pentagon again working engineering issues as Group leader of the C-5A airframe team culminating as the Assistant of Subsystems Management reporting to the Special Programs Office (SPO) Director. Jim retired from the Airforce with over 22 years serving in operational flying assignments and technical engineering assignments at bases in both the United States as well as Korea and Viet-Nam. He was rated as a Command pilot qualified in over seven aircraft amassing over 4500 flying hours. After retiring from the Air Force, Jim was employed at the Lockheed Georgia Company in Marietta, Georgia for over 12 years in various market research and engineering positions within the business development organization, serving his last five years there as a department manager. While employed full time at Lockheed, Jim graduated from Woodrow Wilson College of law and successfully passed the Georgia bar examination. Upon retiring from Lockheed, Jim practiced law in Dallas, Georgia, as an associate in the law firm of Worthy and Associates. After several years as an Attorney practicing in rural Georgia, Jim also became a broker and worked in real estate In 2000 Jim and Sue final "PCS" was to the Indian River Colony Club in Melbourne, Florida where they filled their days with sun, golf, and volunteer activities. Jim loved theater, great fiction, films, and music, as well as the great Russian Romantic composers. As his hearing became less acute, one might arrive to a deafening concert of Sergei Rachmaninoff or Alexander Borodin or perhaps some Artie Shaw. James Edward Seay wanted to be remembered as someone who had done his best, to the best of his skills, and abilities. Someone who had made a difference in others lives, both through his chosen field of service and small personal acts of kindness. Jim is survived by his children, Susan (Subie) Certo, Elizabeth Cooper Seay and LTC (Ret) James (Jim) Seay, four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

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