Posted by Gary Coe on March 11, 2010:

I knew Jim on the rifle team. During our summer after Yearling Year we were scheduled to go to the National big bore tournament at Camp Perry but were cut at the last moment due to lack of funds. The Academy didn't know how to react to this decision since all the billets had been filled for summer activities. When we returned from summer leave we found ourselves actually living in empty barracks under no supervision. We became concerned how our Tactical Officers at the beginning of the academic year would respond to the lack of reports on our summer activities. So we went to Jim Ellis '62 who at the time was the"Beast Barracks" Brigade Commander and he created positions on his staff for the month. Still under virtually no supervision we had a great time performing ad hoc duties such as checking out march routes and bivouac areas. We decided that the key to our success of unanimity was to always wear white gloves and carry a clip board. It was hard to think about Jim as bright since he was such an easy going guy, but he was exceptionally intelligent. Jim was a Hamm Radio operator and had a passion for electronics. This passion was reflected in academic results in all subjects. Anyone who knew Jim will miss him. He had a good heart and was a great friend.

admin