James A. Coats
Retired: November 1974
Died: April 09, 2002
Wife: Barbara
Children: David, Michael, Deborah
Grandchildren: Jennifer, Amy, Ashley, Andrew, Josh, Caroline, Emily
Jobs / Assignments
1961 Lackland AFB, TX Officer Candidate School
1961-62 Harlingen AFB, TX Navigator Training
1962-63 Mather AFB, CA Electronic Warfare Officer Training
1963-67 Steward AFB, NY WO 4713 th DSES – B57s)
1964 Vietnam 8 th BW – B57s
1967-69 Richards Gebaur AFB, MO Hq, 10 th AF – Mission Planning Officer
1969-72 McChord AFB, WA NORAD Mission Planning Officer
1972 Chanute AFB, IL Aircraft Maintenance Officer School
1972-74 Seymour Johnson AFB, NC Commander, 68 th AMC, SAC
Nov 1974 Retired from active duty (after injury from high speed ejection)
1975-2001 Mount Olive, NC Mount Olive College, professor of business;
Chair and Dean of School of Business; Vice President and Vice President for Finance
Feb 2001 Retired and hold Emeritus status.
Education
Jan 1969 Bachelor ’ s Degree, University of Nebraska at Omaha (Business & Economics)
May 1972 MBA, Pacific Lutheran University (Concentration-Management)
Aug 1981 Master of Arts, Central Michigan University (Personnel Management)
May 1986 Doctorate of Education, North Carolina State University (Higher Education Administration)
Jim Remembers . . . . I remember “ bugging ” everywhere, the “ squared ” meals, and the “ green chair ” in 2 nd class, and morning exercises with Debbie Drake while in 1 st Class. It was a great life-changing experience, but I would not want to do it again .
Messages From OCS 61D
My brothers and sisters,
I remember Jim vividly and fondly. He showed up overweight and way out of shape, and was ridden unmercifully for it. Or maybe it was just “training”, because Jim would not quit and he refused to be defeated. He persevered and overcame. He got fit and lost the weight, but he never got bitter or lost his sense of humor or his sweet nature. We will not see his like again. May he rest in peace.
Yours, in sorrowful alliance,
Zack (Blanchard)
Aulay, Do you have an email or snail mail address for Mike Coats?? I would like to send him a note about his father and how much he was liked by all of us.
Phil Brown
He was my friend
Berkshire (Tom)
Really sad that Jim had to go so young. He took a lot of heat from some sadistic upper classmen and came through like a trooper. Godspeed. Art (Colter)
I agree. Jim and I were friends even before OCS. He was a wonderful, intelligent Christian. The world will miss him. (Don Wilde)