Jack Alan McBride, son of James Emmitt McBride and Flora May (Tuttle) McBride, was born on March 31, 1931 in Chilicothe, Ohio. Jack loved to tell the story of exactly where he was born and delighted in watching the expression on people's faces as he told them, "Yes, I was born in the Federal Penitentiary there." He would smile even more if their first question was, "Was your Mother there?" The simple explanation always came quickly as he told them, "My father was a prison guard and was allowed the privileges of the hospital facilities." He was always amused at their reactions and questions. Yes, he had an unusual sense of humor. He was a man of quick wit and funny "one liners", but also much wisdom. Jack graduated from Clever, MO high school in 1948. In those days that was too young to go to college. His father insisted he find something "worthwhile" to occupy his time. In this area and because of the time in history, there were not a lot of opportunities for a young man. A "worthwhile" occupation seemed unreal. Because he so adored his father for the things that he had accomplished and the travels that he had experienced, Jack wanted some of those experiences for himself. After considerable consideration his parents agreed to allow him to join the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves until he "grew up a bit". All went well, but, as usual, the young man wanted more and on his 18th birthday Jack joined the U.S. Air Force active duty. The advancement that had been made in air travel and military aircraft intrigued Jack and he managed to get himself involved with the largest and greatest (in Jack's opinion) bomber ever built: the B-36, known as The Peacemaker. He was then sent to Fort Worth, TX where he remained for 5 years. He flew with The Peacemaker crew as flight engineer until they retired the aircraft in 1959. These were the greatest years of his life. It presented the opportunity to fly, travel and assist his fellow man worldwide. They didn't just carry bombs in the aircraft. The purpose of many flights was for humanitarian reasons. Some were to deliver food or heavy road equipment. Once it was to deliver a lung machine to someone with polio. Many of these flights were made to countries most people had never heard of. After retiring the B-36 Jack continued to fly. Although it was never the same as his first love: the B-36, this time he was assigned to MATS and the C-124's, among others. Now it was time again for a change and the thing peaking Jack's interest now was electronics. Already experienced in radar, he was assigned to Montgomery, AL and traveled the southeastern U.S. as an inspector of radar sites, keeping the country safe from invasion. He continued in this field until his retirement in late 1969 when he was not quite 40 years old. Jack and I had married in 1951 and all during this time had kept the homefires burning with the company of our two children, Dennis and Susan. We were all eager for Dad's retirement day when we could have him home more than ten days at a time. After retirement from the service, he went to work for Litton Industries and remained there until his health forced his retirement, again, in 1988. Unfortunately, Jack's health prevented him from experiencing all of the travels he had planned, but he was able to do some before total restrictions made it impossible. Although Jack always wished he could do more for the children of the world who never had the opportunity to help themselves, he was a man of action in this respect. Through his time as a Shriner, he helped three children by transporting them to the Shriner's Hospital. We still hear from one of them. His heart was always open to children. On the Saturday before his death, he celebrated his 80th birthday, hand in hand (literally) with his great-grandson who had just turned 1. What a joy for him! Jack never lost his "wit and wisdom", as I called it. He always had a story to tell, though was, sometimes a bit reluctant for fear that someone else might not enjoy it in the same manner as he. The quiet, well-mannered young gentleman that I met in high school was the kindest, most generous, most loving husband and father. He was the proudest grandfather, and above all, the BEST FRIEND any person on this earth could ever have. Thank you for the most wonderful past 60 years, Love, your wife Netta.