Lt. Col. (USAF, Ret.) John Grover Davis of Kerrville, TX entered into rest at a local VA hospital 8:30 AM, Dec. 30, 2004, just two weeks after celebrating his 84th birthday. Mr. Davis was born December 16, 1920 in Houston, TX to John and Ruth Davis.
Spouses:
(1) Mary Jane Tidwell, b. 1923 Tulsa, OK. Married 1941 (divorced 1943) Child: Peter Franklin Davis b. 12 Nov. 1942 Los Angeles, CA d. 31 Jan. 1943 Lubbock, TX
(2) Sue Miller (1914-1987), married 26 Jul 1945 (Married 42 years). They had one son, John M. (1946-).
Veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
WWII: 64th TCG (C-47s MTO/ETO) N. Africa, Italy; (TCS/TCG?) D-Day Normandy, France.
Korea: 730th Bomb Squadron (Douglas B-26s), Night Intruder Sq., 452nd Bomb Wing (L).
John Grover Davis of Dallas TX is pictured in the 1942-I yearbook of flight cadets at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, TX.
Kerrville Daily Times, November 10, 2000
Kerrville Veteran Pilot Served in Three Wars
By Rosa Lavender (Times Staff Writer)
Few veterans had the opportunity to serve their country in three different wars but Kerrville resident John G. Davis did that over his military career.
Davis was a classified missions pilot in the United States Air Force in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
"In World War II, I flew C-47s," Davis said. "My plane was the sixth plane to fly over the beaches at Normandy on D-Day June 6 1944. As part of the troop carrier command, I towed gliders and dropped paratroopers behind the lines into France."
And, on his second D-Day mission over Normandy, both engines of his plane were shot out and he was forced to land behind enemy lines.
"My plane suddenly became a glider too and I had to ditch it between two eucalyptus trees," Davis said. "When I hit the ground with no landing gear down, the plane slid into the trees. I took a bite out of the control panel of the plane when it stopped."
He and the other crewmen ran from the plane and hid in a ditch along a main supply road. During the night they were picked up by paratroopers.
Because of his injuries he was sent to England and then back to the United States and served stateside until the war ended.
His interest in flying airplanes was born at an early age. A native of Houston, Davis grew up watching his father, a stunt pilot and wing-walker, with a flying service. His father also had his own jazz band "Texas Jazz Disciples" Which played in many locations around Texas.
His family moved to Dallas, where he graduated from Highland Park High School. He then received a football scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles.
Going to UCLA wasn't his first trip to California. His father was a childhood friend of movie producer Howard Hughes and the family moved to California for a short time during his junior high years while his father was the electrical engineer on the movie "Hell's Angels," produced and directed by Hughes.
In December 1941, Davis returned to Texas after his father suffered a heart attack.
In January, after his father died, Davis joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and reported to Lackland Air Field in San Antonio. He went on to flight school at nearby Kelly Air Field and afterwards was sent to Spartan Air School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Davis was one of 26 volunteers at Kelly who trained on twin-engine C-47s for hazardous duty assignments in the fall of 1942.
In March 1943, he was deployed to North Africa.
He was a part of the invasion of Sicily and went on to Italy before becoming part of the D-Day forces into Normandy.
After returning to the U.S., he was stationed in Santa Anna, Calif. as director of the aeronautics section until he was released in March 1946.
Davis remained in the Air Force Reserves while working for North American Aviation Corporation as an airplane salesman.
He was the engineering officer of a reserve unit flying Douglas B-26 (730th Bomb Squadron) and when the Korean War started in June 1950, the 452nd Bomb Wing (L) was the first group deployed to the Korean theater.
He returned to the U.S. when the war ended in 1953 but remained on active duty during the cold war.
He was assigned to Ballistic Missiles Division in Inglewood, California as chief of the Air Training Command project office.
In 1960, he returned briefly to Korea and Itazuke Air Base, Japan and then became director of procurement at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. He ended up flying 35 classified missions in C-47s in Vietnam in the early years of the war.
He returned to the U.S. and eventually came to the Air Training Command Headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. He retired from there in 1974.
John was active in many organizations some of which include the Daedalians, Masonic Lodge, Kerrville Flying Club, 64th Troop Carrier Group Reunion, Airport Board at Schreiner Air Field, Chamber of Commerce, Cowboy Artists of America Museum, Society of Antique Modelers, Academy of Model Aeronautics, USCG Auxiliary (LCDR), Military Officers Association of America and Randolph Air Force Base Officer's Club.
In partnership with his father, John designed and manufactured The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas, Model Airplane Kits in Texas 1934-1937. An employee during this time was legendary model airplane pioneer, Ed Seay Sr. of Dallas. In 1935, Seay moved to Dallas to work for Golden Aircraft Corp., a model airplane company. Here he learned to cut balsa wood, a skill he used for the rest of his career.
The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas model kits exist today in the collection of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C.
Johnny Davis was an early AMA Member and model airplane pioneer! The magazine "Model Airplane News", featured his popular column "West Coast Tips" (1946-1950), until his Air Force Reserve Squadron 730th (Douglas B-26) was called up for service in Korea.
5 Jan 2005 Red Scholefield, AMA District 2
Subject: John G. Davis
We mourn the passing of another great modeler in Johnny Davis. May God comfort his family.
Red S.
Spouses:
(1) Mary Jane Tidwell, b. 1923 Tulsa, OK. Married 1941 (divorced 1943) Child: Peter Franklin Davis b. 12 Nov. 1942 Los Angeles, CA d. 31 Jan. 1943 Lubbock, TX
(2) Sue Miller (1914-1987), married 26 Jul 1945 (Married 42 years). They had one son, John M. (1946-).
Veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
WWII: 64th TCG (C-47s MTO/ETO) N. Africa, Italy; (TCS/TCG?) D-Day Normandy, France.
Korea: 730th Bomb Squadron (Douglas B-26s), Night Intruder Sq., 452nd Bomb Wing (L).
John Grover Davis of Dallas TX is pictured in the 1942-I yearbook of flight cadets at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, TX.
Kerrville Daily Times, November 10, 2000
Kerrville Veteran Pilot Served in Three Wars
By Rosa Lavender (Times Staff Writer)
Few veterans had the opportunity to serve their country in three different wars but Kerrville resident John G. Davis did that over his military career.
Davis was a classified missions pilot in the United States Air Force in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
"In World War II, I flew C-47s," Davis said. "My plane was the sixth plane to fly over the beaches at Normandy on D-Day June 6 1944. As part of the troop carrier command, I towed gliders and dropped paratroopers behind the lines into France."
And, on his second D-Day mission over Normandy, both engines of his plane were shot out and he was forced to land behind enemy lines.
"My plane suddenly became a glider too and I had to ditch it between two eucalyptus trees," Davis said. "When I hit the ground with no landing gear down, the plane slid into the trees. I took a bite out of the control panel of the plane when it stopped."
He and the other crewmen ran from the plane and hid in a ditch along a main supply road. During the night they were picked up by paratroopers.
Because of his injuries he was sent to England and then back to the United States and served stateside until the war ended.
His interest in flying airplanes was born at an early age. A native of Houston, Davis grew up watching his father, a stunt pilot and wing-walker, with a flying service. His father also had his own jazz band "Texas Jazz Disciples" Which played in many locations around Texas.
His family moved to Dallas, where he graduated from Highland Park High School. He then received a football scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles.
Going to UCLA wasn't his first trip to California. His father was a childhood friend of movie producer Howard Hughes and the family moved to California for a short time during his junior high years while his father was the electrical engineer on the movie "Hell's Angels," produced and directed by Hughes.
In December 1941, Davis returned to Texas after his father suffered a heart attack.
In January, after his father died, Davis joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and reported to Lackland Air Field in San Antonio. He went on to flight school at nearby Kelly Air Field and afterwards was sent to Spartan Air School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Davis was one of 26 volunteers at Kelly who trained on twin-engine C-47s for hazardous duty assignments in the fall of 1942.
In March 1943, he was deployed to North Africa.
He was a part of the invasion of Sicily and went on to Italy before becoming part of the D-Day forces into Normandy.
After returning to the U.S., he was stationed in Santa Anna, Calif. as director of the aeronautics section until he was released in March 1946.
Davis remained in the Air Force Reserves while working for North American Aviation Corporation as an airplane salesman.
He was the engineering officer of a reserve unit flying Douglas B-26 (730th Bomb Squadron) and when the Korean War started in June 1950, the 452nd Bomb Wing (L) was the first group deployed to the Korean theater.
He returned to the U.S. when the war ended in 1953 but remained on active duty during the cold war.
He was assigned to Ballistic Missiles Division in Inglewood, California as chief of the Air Training Command project office.
In 1960, he returned briefly to Korea and Itazuke Air Base, Japan and then became director of procurement at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. He ended up flying 35 classified missions in C-47s in Vietnam in the early years of the war.
He returned to the U.S. and eventually came to the Air Training Command Headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. He retired from there in 1974.
John was active in many organizations some of which include the Daedalians, Masonic Lodge, Kerrville Flying Club, 64th Troop Carrier Group Reunion, Airport Board at Schreiner Air Field, Chamber of Commerce, Cowboy Artists of America Museum, Society of Antique Modelers, Academy of Model Aeronautics, USCG Auxiliary (LCDR), Military Officers Association of America and Randolph Air Force Base Officer's Club.
In partnership with his father, John designed and manufactured The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas, Model Airplane Kits in Texas 1934-1937. An employee during this time was legendary model airplane pioneer, Ed Seay Sr. of Dallas. In 1935, Seay moved to Dallas to work for Golden Aircraft Corp., a model airplane company. Here he learned to cut balsa wood, a skill he used for the rest of his career.
The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas model kits exist today in the collection of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C.
Johnny Davis was an early AMA Member and model airplane pioneer! The magazine "Model Airplane News", featured his popular column "West Coast Tips" (1946-1950), until his Air Force Reserve Squadron 730th (Douglas B-26) was called up for service in Korea.
5 Jan 2005 Red Scholefield, AMA District 2
Subject: John G. Davis
We mourn the passing of another great modeler in Johnny Davis. May God comfort his family.
Red S.
Lt. Col. (USAF, Ret.) John Grover Davis of Kerrville, TX entered into rest at a local VA hospital 8:30 AM, Dec. 30, 2004, just two weeks after celebrating his 84th birthday. Mr. Davis was born December 16, 1920 in Houston, TX to John and Ruth Davis.
Spouses:
(1) Mary Jane Tidwell, b. 1923 Tulsa, OK. Married 1941 (divorced 1943) Child: Peter Franklin Davis b. 12 Nov. 1942 Los Angeles, CA d. 31 Jan. 1943 Lubbock, TX
(2) Sue Miller (1914-1987), married 26 Jul 1945 (Married 42 years). They had one son, John M. (1946-).
Veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
WWII: 64th TCG (C-47s MTO/ETO) N. Africa, Italy; (TCS/TCG?) D-Day Normandy, France.
Korea: 730th Bomb Squadron (Douglas B-26s), Night Intruder Sq., 452nd Bomb Wing (L).
John Grover Davis of Dallas TX is pictured in the 1942-I yearbook of flight cadets at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, TX.
Kerrville Daily Times, November 10, 2000
Kerrville Veteran Pilot Served in Three Wars
By Rosa Lavender (Times Staff Writer)
Few veterans had the opportunity to serve their country in three different wars but Kerrville resident John G. Davis did that over his military career.
Davis was a classified missions pilot in the United States Air Force in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
"In World War II, I flew C-47s," Davis said. "My plane was the sixth plane to fly over the beaches at Normandy on D-Day June 6 1944. As part of the troop carrier command, I towed gliders and dropped paratroopers behind the lines into France."
And, on his second D-Day mission over Normandy, both engines of his plane were shot out and he was forced to land behind enemy lines.
"My plane suddenly became a glider too and I had to ditch it between two eucalyptus trees," Davis said. "When I hit the ground with no landing gear down, the plane slid into the trees. I took a bite out of the control panel of the plane when it stopped."
He and the other crewmen ran from the plane and hid in a ditch along a main supply road. During the night they were picked up by paratroopers.
Because of his injuries he was sent to England and then back to the United States and served stateside until the war ended.
His interest in flying airplanes was born at an early age. A native of Houston, Davis grew up watching his father, a stunt pilot and wing-walker, with a flying service. His father also had his own jazz band "Texas Jazz Disciples" Which played in many locations around Texas.
His family moved to Dallas, where he graduated from Highland Park High School. He then received a football scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles.
Going to UCLA wasn't his first trip to California. His father was a childhood friend of movie producer Howard Hughes and the family moved to California for a short time during his junior high years while his father was the electrical engineer on the movie "Hell's Angels," produced and directed by Hughes.
In December 1941, Davis returned to Texas after his father suffered a heart attack.
In January, after his father died, Davis joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and reported to Lackland Air Field in San Antonio. He went on to flight school at nearby Kelly Air Field and afterwards was sent to Spartan Air School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Davis was one of 26 volunteers at Kelly who trained on twin-engine C-47s for hazardous duty assignments in the fall of 1942.
In March 1943, he was deployed to North Africa.
He was a part of the invasion of Sicily and went on to Italy before becoming part of the D-Day forces into Normandy.
After returning to the U.S., he was stationed in Santa Anna, Calif. as director of the aeronautics section until he was released in March 1946.
Davis remained in the Air Force Reserves while working for North American Aviation Corporation as an airplane salesman.
He was the engineering officer of a reserve unit flying Douglas B-26 (730th Bomb Squadron) and when the Korean War started in June 1950, the 452nd Bomb Wing (L) was the first group deployed to the Korean theater.
He returned to the U.S. when the war ended in 1953 but remained on active duty during the cold war.
He was assigned to Ballistic Missiles Division in Inglewood, California as chief of the Air Training Command project office.
In 1960, he returned briefly to Korea and Itazuke Air Base, Japan and then became director of procurement at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. He ended up flying 35 classified missions in C-47s in Vietnam in the early years of the war.
He returned to the U.S. and eventually came to the Air Training Command Headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. He retired from there in 1974.
John was active in many organizations some of which include the Daedalians, Masonic Lodge, Kerrville Flying Club, 64th Troop Carrier Group Reunion, Airport Board at Schreiner Air Field, Chamber of Commerce, Cowboy Artists of America Museum, Society of Antique Modelers, Academy of Model Aeronautics, USCG Auxiliary (LCDR), Military Officers Association of America and Randolph Air Force Base Officer's Club.
In partnership with his father, John designed and manufactured The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas, Model Airplane Kits in Texas 1934-1937. An employee during this time was legendary model airplane pioneer, Ed Seay Sr. of Dallas. In 1935, Seay moved to Dallas to work for Golden Aircraft Corp., a model airplane company. Here he learned to cut balsa wood, a skill he used for the rest of his career.
The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas model kits exist today in the collection of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C.
Johnny Davis was an early AMA Member and model airplane pioneer! The magazine "Model Airplane News", featured his popular column "West Coast Tips" (1946-1950), until his Air Force Reserve Squadron 730th (Douglas B-26) was called up for service in Korea.
5 Jan 2005 Red Scholefield, AMA District 2
Subject: John G. Davis
We mourn the passing of another great modeler in Johnny Davis. May God comfort his family.
Red S.
Spouses:
(1) Mary Jane Tidwell, b. 1923 Tulsa, OK. Married 1941 (divorced 1943) Child: Peter Franklin Davis b. 12 Nov. 1942 Los Angeles, CA d. 31 Jan. 1943 Lubbock, TX
(2) Sue Miller (1914-1987), married 26 Jul 1945 (Married 42 years). They had one son, John M. (1946-).
Veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
WWII: 64th TCG (C-47s MTO/ETO) N. Africa, Italy; (TCS/TCG?) D-Day Normandy, France.
Korea: 730th Bomb Squadron (Douglas B-26s), Night Intruder Sq., 452nd Bomb Wing (L).
John Grover Davis of Dallas TX is pictured in the 1942-I yearbook of flight cadets at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, TX.
Kerrville Daily Times, November 10, 2000
Kerrville Veteran Pilot Served in Three Wars
By Rosa Lavender (Times Staff Writer)
Few veterans had the opportunity to serve their country in three different wars but Kerrville resident John G. Davis did that over his military career.
Davis was a classified missions pilot in the United States Air Force in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
"In World War II, I flew C-47s," Davis said. "My plane was the sixth plane to fly over the beaches at Normandy on D-Day June 6 1944. As part of the troop carrier command, I towed gliders and dropped paratroopers behind the lines into France."
And, on his second D-Day mission over Normandy, both engines of his plane were shot out and he was forced to land behind enemy lines.
"My plane suddenly became a glider too and I had to ditch it between two eucalyptus trees," Davis said. "When I hit the ground with no landing gear down, the plane slid into the trees. I took a bite out of the control panel of the plane when it stopped."
He and the other crewmen ran from the plane and hid in a ditch along a main supply road. During the night they were picked up by paratroopers.
Because of his injuries he was sent to England and then back to the United States and served stateside until the war ended.
His interest in flying airplanes was born at an early age. A native of Houston, Davis grew up watching his father, a stunt pilot and wing-walker, with a flying service. His father also had his own jazz band "Texas Jazz Disciples" Which played in many locations around Texas.
His family moved to Dallas, where he graduated from Highland Park High School. He then received a football scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles.
Going to UCLA wasn't his first trip to California. His father was a childhood friend of movie producer Howard Hughes and the family moved to California for a short time during his junior high years while his father was the electrical engineer on the movie "Hell's Angels," produced and directed by Hughes.
In December 1941, Davis returned to Texas after his father suffered a heart attack.
In January, after his father died, Davis joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and reported to Lackland Air Field in San Antonio. He went on to flight school at nearby Kelly Air Field and afterwards was sent to Spartan Air School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Davis was one of 26 volunteers at Kelly who trained on twin-engine C-47s for hazardous duty assignments in the fall of 1942.
In March 1943, he was deployed to North Africa.
He was a part of the invasion of Sicily and went on to Italy before becoming part of the D-Day forces into Normandy.
After returning to the U.S., he was stationed in Santa Anna, Calif. as director of the aeronautics section until he was released in March 1946.
Davis remained in the Air Force Reserves while working for North American Aviation Corporation as an airplane salesman.
He was the engineering officer of a reserve unit flying Douglas B-26 (730th Bomb Squadron) and when the Korean War started in June 1950, the 452nd Bomb Wing (L) was the first group deployed to the Korean theater.
He returned to the U.S. when the war ended in 1953 but remained on active duty during the cold war.
He was assigned to Ballistic Missiles Division in Inglewood, California as chief of the Air Training Command project office.
In 1960, he returned briefly to Korea and Itazuke Air Base, Japan and then became director of procurement at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. He ended up flying 35 classified missions in C-47s in Vietnam in the early years of the war.
He returned to the U.S. and eventually came to the Air Training Command Headquarters at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. He retired from there in 1974.
John was active in many organizations some of which include the Daedalians, Masonic Lodge, Kerrville Flying Club, 64th Troop Carrier Group Reunion, Airport Board at Schreiner Air Field, Chamber of Commerce, Cowboy Artists of America Museum, Society of Antique Modelers, Academy of Model Aeronautics, USCG Auxiliary (LCDR), Military Officers Association of America and Randolph Air Force Base Officer's Club.
In partnership with his father, John designed and manufactured The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas, Model Airplane Kits in Texas 1934-1937. An employee during this time was legendary model airplane pioneer, Ed Seay Sr. of Dallas. In 1935, Seay moved to Dallas to work for Golden Aircraft Corp., a model airplane company. Here he learned to cut balsa wood, a skill he used for the rest of his career.
The Golden Aircraft Corporation of Dallas model kits exist today in the collection of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C.
Johnny Davis was an early AMA Member and model airplane pioneer! The magazine "Model Airplane News", featured his popular column "West Coast Tips" (1946-1950), until his Air Force Reserve Squadron 730th (Douglas B-26) was called up for service in Korea.
5 Jan 2005 Red Scholefield, AMA District 2
Subject: John G. Davis
We mourn the passing of another great modeler in Johnny Davis. May God comfort his family.
Red S.
Inscription
Lt Col, US Air Force, WW II, Korea, Vietnam
Gravesite Details
Section 5 Site 206-D
Family Members
Children
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