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It is easy to be
proud of John Ellsworth Lawson. He was one of our classmates who
personified the excellent traits that we all strive to obtain. A quiet,
dignified, studious man, John was a classmate, a roommate and a friend.
John was born in
Rye, NY, on 12 Mar 1929, the son of Karl and Katherine Lawson. Even at an early
age, John showed an interest in, and a talent for, scientific endeavors. After
finishing high school, John entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in
Troy, NY, as an engineering major. After completing two years of college, John
sought and obtained a senatorial appointment to West Point and entered the
Academy in July 1950 with the class of 1954.
John was the
quintessential engineer, the very purpose for which the Academy was founded. He
excelled in the technical subjects, but the social sciences and foreign
languages were a different story. By diligent effort, John prevailed, but he
never was a section leader in Spanish class. He marched for hours across the
Plain but never walked a minute on the Area.
Upon graduation,
John selected the U.S. Air Force and began his military career. While in pilot
training, he returned to Rye to marry Phyllis Boyd, his childhood sweetheart, on
4 Mar 1955. John was more than a theoretical academic; he could apply his
technical skills to practical problems. During pilot training, he changed out
the engine mounts on his car, impressing his fellow pilot trainees with his
mechanical abilities. After completing pilot training, John stayed on as an
instructor pilot at Reese AFB, TX.
John’s flying
career was in multi-engine aircraft. He had overseas flying assignments in
Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, and
Nakhon Phanom Airport, Thailand, where he flew EC-47 aircraft on surveillance
missions over Southeast Asia. He amassed over 2,000 flying hours, became a
command pilot, and obtained the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The major focus of
John’s career, however, was in the scientific area. John entered the University
of Texas in Austin in June 1960 and obtained a master’s degree in Mechanical
Engineering. Subsequent assignments in aircraft maintenance and test flight
activities lead to his being selected for a Ph.D. program in June 1966 in
Aerospace Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson
AFB, OH. John successfully obtained his degree in July 1968 and began work in
the Air Force Materiel Laboratory, also at Wright-Patterson AFB. After returning
from his overseas assignments in November 1973, John was assigned to the Air
Force Materiel Testing Laboratory at Holloman AFB, NM, working on the
applications of titanium to flight environments.
During the course
of their many stateside assignments, John and Phyllis raised four children: two
sons, Mark and Glen, and two daughters, Lynn and Jan. Glen has followed in his
father’s footsteps and is an officer in the Air Force. Their domestic life was
marked with tragedy, however, when their older son, Mark, died. Their daughters
are happily married with families of their own. While assigned to Holloman AFB,
NM, an assignment John greatly enjoyed, he was stricken with cancer and received a
disability retirement on 24 Jan 1977. John and Phyllis stayed in Alamogordo, NM,
to fight the disease, but John lost the battle and died on 30 Jun 1977.
John’s military
career was marked by his unstinted dedication and scientific ingenuity. He was
awarded the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Force
Commendation Medal and received several service awards. John was Duty, Honor,
Country throughout his life. The field may have been too long, the goal posts
too far, but he carried the ball with dignity and grace. Even if his military
career was tragically cut short, he served his country well, and his
contribution to its defense was significant.
—Richard D. Youngflesh ’54 |
