The James Family

From "Lexington" by Mary Wilson and Sharon Y. Asher, published sometime after 1975.

FLOYD E. JAMES AND LEE B. JAMES

It has been said, "like father, like son," in referring to Floyd E. James and his son Col. Lee B. James. Both have gone from their homes in Scott County to national prominence in their respective fields.

Floyd James, a leader in the field of education, obtained a bachelor's degree from Hanover College and a Masters degree from the University of North Carolina. He taught in the Lexington High School from which he had graduated earlier and served as principal of the school, later becoming Scott County Superintendent of Schools.

Altogether he spent 23 years in the education profession before becoming an instructor at the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1947 he became Dean of the Presbyterian Junior College of Maxton, North Carolina (later known as St. Andrews College and then the Carolina Military Academy) and Academic Dean at Carolina Military Academy.

Dean James married the former Nina Boyer of Charlestown, Indiana, and they had two sons -- Lee and Perry. He is a member of the City Council of Maxton, is an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church and is a member of the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport Commission. He is also a veteran of the first World War.

Dean James has had many honors bestowed upon him. His Alma Mater Hanover College honored him on the 50th anniversary of his graduation; his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, made him a member of the distinguished Golden Legion Order and at commencement at St. Andrews College in 1964 he was presented a certificate of merit by the trustees--" in recognition of outstanding service to St. Andrews Presbyterian College and the cause of higher education in the Sunod of North Carolina, Presbyterian Church, U.S."

His son Lee was born in Charlestown, Indiana and educated in the Scott County schools at Lexington and Scottsburg. He spent two years in the 1938 class at Scottsburg High School and graduated in 1938 at Tennessee Military Institute. He graduated from West Point in 1942 and received his M.A. degree from the University of California at Los Angeles majoring in Guided Missiles and Aeronautics.

He came to Huntsville Redstone Arsenal in 1956 and helped develop the Jupiter Missile as well as other smaller rockets. In 1960 he was made Deputy Director of Research and Development at NASA under Dr. Wernher Von Braun's direction. In 1963 he became Director of the Saturn I/IB Program Office and later Deputy Director of the Apollo Program at NASA.

He was assigned to a top job as Saturn 5 Launch Vehicle Manager when Apollo 8, 9, 10 and 11 were the first Saturn 5 manned launches, carrying twelve astronauts to the moon successfully. Recently he was promoted to Director of Program Management at the Marshall Space Flight Center near Huntsville.

He is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary Society and Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honorary Society. He is the senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and has been twice awarded NASA's Exceptional Service Medal for his contributions to the Saturn-Apollo Programs.

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