CAPT James A. LOVELL Jr, USN (Ret)
Golden Eagle Emeritus
 

Gentlemen,
 
It is my sad duty to inform you that on Thursday, 7 August 2025, Golden Eagle Emeritus CAPT James A. “Jim” LOVELL Jr., USN (Ret), made his Last Take Off with his family by his side at home in Lake Forest, Illinois, at the age of 97.
 
Jim was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on 25 March 1928. Following the death of his father, he was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attending Juneau High School. He was also a member of the Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout and was involved in model rocketry. In his senior year of high school, he applied for and was accepted into the Naval Aviation Holloway Plan, also known as the Flying Midshipman program, that provided scholarships for recruits to attend college. Jim attended the University of Wisconsin for two years before receiving an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), reporting there in June 1948. In his first-class year (senior year) he wrote a treatise on the development of the liquid fuel rocket engine, a treatise that now resides in the Naval Academy archives. Jim graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in June 1952. Upon graduation, the sixth of June, he married his high school sweetheart Marilyn, beginning their 71-year marriage.
 
After a summer of providing seamanship instruction at USNA, Jim reported to Pensacola, FL, in October 1952 to begin his flight training. He earned his Wings of Gold on 1 February 1954 and then reported to his first squadron, Composite Squadron Three (VC-3) at NAS Moffett Field, CA, flying the F2H-3 Banshee. In 1955 he was assigned to Team Jig, a night fighter team that deployed to WestPac on USS Shangri-La (CVA 38) from January–June 1956. While VC-3’s primary purpose was to provide night-fighter team detachments to fleet carriers when Jim joined the squadron, it was also beginning to function as a transition training unit for new jets entering the fleet. On Jim’s return from deployment, he became an instructor in the F3H Demon for West Coast squadron leaders transitioning to the Demon.
 
In January 1958 Jim entered Class 20 at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, NAS Patuxent River, MD, graduating first in his class. He was assigned to Electronics Test (later designated Weapons Test) and became the Project Manager for the F4H Phantom II, completing the Navy Preliminary Evaluation and Board of Inspection Survey trials for the Phantom II. In July 1961 Jim transferred to VF-101 Detachment Alpha, NAS Oceana, VA, to serve as an F4H instructor training the first East Coast Navy and Marine F4H squadrons. He also was the Program Manager for Operation Sageburner that established the low altitude speed record by the F4H (over 900 mph on a 3-mile course below 125 feet).
 
October 1962 brought the news of Jim’s selection as one of the second group of astronauts for NASA. Over the next 11 years, he made four space flights and was back up for three more. On Gemini 7 with Frank Borman, they set the world space-flight endurance record (at that time) and participated in the first spacecraft rendezvous with Gemini 6. As Commander of Gemini 12 with Buzz Aldrin, they perfected space-docking techniques and developed Extra Vehicular Activity procedures necessary for later flights of Apollo. Jim was the navigator on the historic Apollo 8 mission of man’s first flight to the moon, and consequently was the first Naval Officer to reach the moon, successfully evaluating and proving the navigation system and mapping suitable landing sites for future missions. At the time, he also named a mountain on the moon after his wife, Mount Marilyn, that was officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union in 2017. Jim’s final space flight was as the Commander for Apollo 13, the scheduled third lunar landing mission. This mission made him the first person to fly to the moon twice. While the story of the near catastrophic Apollo 13 mission is well known, it did result in Jim attaining the absolute altitude record for a spacecraft of 248,655 miles. This flight also proved that good leadership and teamwork could turn a near catastrophe into a successful recovery.
 
After the April 1970 mission of Apollo 13, Jim held several managerial positions at NASA and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard in 1971. He was also the Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports, serving under four Presidents as the Chairman until 1978. On 1 March 1973, Jim retired from the Navy and NASA, culminating 21 years in uniform.
 
During his career, Jim accumulated over 7,000 flight hours including 4,500 in jet aircraft, 713 in space, and 107 carrier arrested landings. He received numerous medals and awards, including the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses, NASA Distinguished and Exceptional Service Medal, and the French Legion of Honor. Of note, Jim was also honored with the naming of the Captain James A. LOVELL Jr. Federal Health Center, a combined VA/DoD health care center in North Chicago, Illinois. He was also a Golden Eagle for 35 years, becoming a member in 1990.
 
After retirement from the Navy and NASA, Jim remained busy, serving as President of Bay-Houston Towing, a company that provided towage services for ships in the ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City, Freeport, Corpus Christi, and adjacent offshore areas. He next entered the telecommunications industry as President of Fisk Telephone Systems and followed that as Executive Vice President of Centel Corporation. After retiring from Centel, Jim and co-author Jeff Kluger wrote the book “Lost Moon, The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13.” As most know, that became the movie “Apollo 13” where Tom Hanks portrayed Jim LOVELL Jr. Jim did note, tongue in cheek, that he got his deep draft command in that film, in which he appeared as the Captain of USS Iwo Jima (LPH 2), the recovery ship for Apollo 13. He also served as a consultant to the movie. Jim entered the restaurant business in 1999 with his son Jay, opening Lovell’s of Lake Forest. He remained a motivational speaker throughout retirement in addition to many space-related speeches.
 
Jim was predeceased by his wife of 71 years, Marilyn, in August 2023. He is survived by his four children, eleven grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. He will be laid to rest next to Marilyn at the U.S. Naval Academy in a private military memorial service at a future date. If further information becomes available, it will be provided in a Special Notice.
 
He will be missed.
 
In sadness,
Marty CHANIK
Pilot