HARRISON R. CHILTON

CHILTON, HARRISON R. Dec. 12, 1914 to Mar. 8, 2011 Harrison Randolph (Jack) Chilton died Tuesday, March 8, 2011, in Coronado, California. Born in State College, Mississippi, on December 13, 1914, he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Mississippi State College in 1937. In 1941, he earned his wings as a naval aviator, and flew F6Fs with VF-1 off of the USS Yorktown. His experiences with his squadron mates during the war stayed with him for the rest of his life. In 1942, he married May Marguerite (Peggy) Ervin of West Point, Mississippi, who survives him with two children, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. After the war, Jack worked for a time in Mississippi with his brother Sidney (d. 1982), but was called up to active duty during the Korean War and served as Engineering and Inspection Officer test piloting DC-6s for the Navy at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica. He moved to Coronado in 1961 and began a very active retirement in 1977, including participation in Public Access Cable for Elders (PACE), the Optimist Club of Coronado, and the Coronado Democratic Club. A jazz musician from his college days, he played guitar with the Coronado Swing Band. He also played tennis regularly into his early nineties. Jack was widely known for his activism, his sense of humor, his deep joy in jazz and good conversation, and his commitment to honesty. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends and, even if they did not know him, all the people of the planet.