Jim enlisted during WWII at the age of 17 and was assigned to the 8th Army Air Corps. Jim was stationed in Greensboro, North Carolina, when Greensboro College sophomore, Evelyn Wood, passed him on the street and he asked her out on a date. They were engaged on their second date and eloped in 1946. During their 67 years of marriage Jim would often say, “The smartest thing I ever did was marry your mother.” His family heartily agreed.
After graduating from East Carolina University, Jim took a job in southern California in the defense industry. For the next 40 years Jim was at the forefront of missile system and integrated combat system design; his groundbreaking projects are displayed at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Highlights of Jim’s career include: the Missile Defense System; guidance systems for the Gemini and Apollo space programs, and the first Arleigh Burke Class destroyer. Jim worked for General Electric, Bath Iron Works, and Litton Industries where he was appointed Vice President in charge of Shipbuilding for his role in the DDG51. He was president of several subsidiary companies but insisted that his real title was “engineer.” Jim completed his professional tenure with
Raytheon, reluctantly retiring at the mandatory age of 70.
Jim’s recreation was as vigorous as his work. He was a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club 4,000 Footer Club. He led the family in sailing, canoeing, and camping. In 1972, Jim and Lyn bought a 350-acre dairy farm in Windsor, Maine. His wife and son ran the dairy farm and added sheep, pigs and horses. This provided Jim with non-stop projects on weekends.
A member of the Concord (NH) Aero-Guidance Society, Jim was an avid radio control airplane builder, flyer, crasher, and restorer. There was always a chainsaw in his car to cut down the offending tree that captured his planes.
Jim Hynes succumbed to Parkinson’s Disease on March 14, 2013, with his family by his side. He was predeceased by his grandson, David. He is survived by his better half, Lyn; his three children, Beverly, Nancy and her husband Daniel, James III and his wife Lisa; and four grandchildren, Matthew, Katharine, Evelyn, and James. Burial takes place March 23, 2013, at the family plot in Wilson, North Carolina.
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