Roy Valton Spalding Jr - Class Of 1965
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Roy Valton Spalding, Jr. passed away in March of 1979. He was in the Air Force and was killed in a plane cash while on a training mission over Scotland in March of 1979.
I met Roy in September 1963 at the beginning of his junior year at Baker. He and his family (2 sisters - Linda & Elaine, 2 brothers - Keith & John and parents Roy Sr. & Dorothy) were living in the mobile home park at Harmony Church (part of Ft Benning) because Benning was booming due to the Vietnam buildup and housing was difficult to come by when you had a large family. In early 1966 another sister, Dottie, was added to the family. During his junior year Roy played the trombone in the Baker band. He was also interested in acting and I remember him being in the Madwoman of Chaillot. Roy participated in Boy Scouts and worked as a counselor during the summer at the Boy Scout camp in Fortson GA. After graduation, he attended Brevard Engineering College in Melbourne FL. Before being drafted into the Army in 1966, he worked at the old Shoney's on Macon Rd next to the bypass. Roy did his basic training at Ft Polk LA. I'm not sure if he went to Ft Eustis VA or Ft Rucker AL after basic but I do know he was stationed at both. At Rucker he was trained as a helicopter pilot like his father. In October 1967 Roy was sent to Vietnam. After surviving that, the Army sent him to Italy in 1968. I lost touch with him then but learned through a mutual friend that he had married. Between 1969 and his death on March 29, 1979, at the age of 31, Roy left the Army, graduated from college (1974), joined the Air Force and had 2 children, Roy III and Fiona - not sure in exactly what order this all occurred. At the time of his death, he was on active duty with the Air Force. He died when his plane crashed on a training mission in Scotland. He is buried in Ireland. Today, (March 29, 2009) is the 30th anniversary of his death.
Roy and I were classmates, band mates and military aviators. He was a class guy, played a decent trombone and was fun to be around. He did not play with us in the band his senior year and I don't recall why. Maybe Mr. Reis got in his face too much, but then again Mr. Reis got in everybody's face too much!! He expected the best out of all of his band students.
Most aviators fear the weather over combat and mechanical difficulties when flying and Roy probably was no exception. On or about March 29,1979 CPT. Roy Spalding and CPT. Tom Seagren, crew members in an RF-4C Phantom II jet fighter crashed while on a training mission during a heavy snowstorm near Newton- Stewart, Galloway Hills, Scotland.
Roy, I wish you would have stayed with your rotary-wing flying and remained in the army. At least in foul weather you could have zeroed out your airspeed and found a nice safe place to land. But on the other hand there is nothing like screaming through the sound barrier in a Phantom.
Thank you for your service to our country and rest in peace!!
Carol Williams (Merrill) (1967)
I met Roy in September 1963 at the beginning of his junior year at Baker. He and his family (2 sisters - Linda & Elaine, 2 brothers - Keith & John and parents Roy Sr. & Dorothy) were living in the mobile home park at Harmony Church (part of Ft Benning) because Benning was booming due to the Vietnam buildup and housing was difficult to come by when you had a large family. In early 1966 another sister, Dottie, was added to the family. During his junior year Roy played the trombone in the Baker band. He was also interested in acting and I remember him being in the Madwoman of Chaillot. Roy participated in Boy Scouts and worked as a counselor during the summer at the Boy Scout camp in Fortson GA. After graduation, he attended Brevard Engineering College in Melbourne FL. Before being drafted into the Army in 1966, he worked at the old Shoney's on Macon Rd next to the bypass. Roy did his basic training at Ft Polk LA. I'm not sure if he went to Ft Eustis VA or Ft Rucker AL after basic but I do know he was stationed at both. At Rucker he was trained as a helicopter pilot like his father. In October 1967 Roy was sent to Vietnam. After surviving that, the Army sent him to Italy in 1968. I lost touch with him then but learned through a mutual friend that he had married. Between 1969 and his death on March 29, 1979, at the age of 31, Roy left the Army, graduated from college (1974), joined the Air Force and had 2 children, Roy III and Fiona - not sure in exactly what order this all occurred. At the time of his death, he was on active duty with the Air Force. He died when his plane crashed on a training mission in Scotland. He is buried in Ireland. Today, (March 29, 2009) is the 30th anniversary of his death.
William Medeiros Jr (1965)
Roy and I were classmates, band mates and military aviators. He was a class guy, played a decent trombone and was fun to be around. He did not play with us in the band his senior year and I don't recall why. Maybe Mr. Reis got in his face too much, but then again Mr. Reis got in everybody's face too much!! He expected the best out of all of his band students.
Most aviators fear the weather over combat and mechanical difficulties when flying and Roy probably was no exception. On or about March 29,1979 CPT. Roy Spalding and CPT. Tom Seagren, crew members in an RF-4C Phantom II jet fighter crashed while on a training mission during a heavy snowstorm near Newton- Stewart, Galloway Hills, Scotland.
Roy, I wish you would have stayed with your rotary-wing flying and remained in the army. At least in foul weather you could have zeroed out your airspeed and found a nice safe place to land. But on the other hand there is nothing like screaming through the sound barrier in a Phantom.
Thank you for your service to our country and rest in peace!!
Danny Williams (1975)
RIP>DANNY WILLIAMSBHS75