|
John Edward “Jack” Arnet was born in Ypsilanti, MI, to
Edward and Florence Arnet and had an older sister Betty. His parents decided to
call him “Jack,” and that is how he was known from his schooldays through
college. He attended Roosevelt School K–12 and graduated with the Class of 1949.
Jack was an active member of the Boy Scouts and spent many summers as a
counselor. In high school he was a diver on the swim team, ran track and field,
and was quarterback and captain of the football team. He served as an acolyte at
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and was a member of Young Peoples Fellowship. There
he met and maintained a friendship with Sherrill McElroy, also a member of the
church, who later became Mrs. Arnet. Sherrill’s mother taught Jack to fly while
in high school. When he earned his private pilot license, Sherrill was his first
passenger.
Jack received a Congressional appointment to West Point. In
preparation, he attended Michigan State Normal College for one year. He then
joined the Long Gray Line as a member of the Class of 1954. He was assigned to
Company L-1, and there began many lifelong friendships. He was great fun to be
around with his great sense of humor, often challenging you with, “Why would you
want to do that?” and then breaking out in a big grin. At West Point, Jack
played football, ran track, played hockey, and was a member of the debate
council, skeet club and pistol club. When Jack was not involved with academics,
he could be found walking the area. At graduation he chose the Air Force as his
branch of service and long time girlfriend Sherrill as his bride. Jack and
Sherrill were married in the Cadet Chapel the day after graduation, 9 Jun 1954.
The second lieutenant and his bride headed for Hondo, TX, and the
first phase of pilot training in the T-6. Next they were off to Greenville, MS,
for another six months of training. Their first son, Peter, was born just before
leaving for Little Rock, AR, and the Strategic Air Command. Jack was next
assigned to Wichita, KS, for training in the B-47 Stratojet and then returned to
Little Rock. While serving with a select crew, he had tours of duty in England
and Spain. Back in Little Rock, their second son, Paul, joined the family. In
the fall of 1959, Jack entered the University of Texas in Austin and earned a
master’s degree in science while keeping up his flying commitment at Bergstrom
AFB. Upon graduation in June 1961, Jack was assigned as an instructor in the
Chemistry Department at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. Daughter
Julie was born that November, in the midst of a major snowstorm, to complete the
family.
An accompanied tour to Naha AFB, Okinawa, began in November 1965.
During this tour Jack flew C-130 Hercules aircraft for the Military Airlift
Command, including temporary duty assignments to Thailand and Vietnam. He earned
his parachute jump wings at Kadena AFB, Okinawa. In the summer of 1968, the
family relocated to California while Jack spent a year in Vietnam at Tan Son
Nhut AFB as a Special Forces liaison advisor and flew missions as a forward air
controller in the O-1 “Bird Dog” aircraft. While there, another classmate
recalls Jack giving him a base tour in Jack’s personal jeep, received as a gift
from a pilot returning to the states. Jack earned the Distinguished Flying
Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, and three awards of the Air Medal. He returned
with his family to the Air Force Academy in 1969 and served in the Dean’s office
while also training cadets in flight instruction until his retirement in 1974.
He then accepted a position at the United States Merchant Marine
Academy at Kings Point, NY, as associate academic dean and athletic director for
ten years. While there he earned a master’s degree in business administration
from Adelphi University. In 1984, Jack accepted a position with the State of
Connecticut Technical College System and rose to the position of president of
Hartford State Technical College before his final retirement.
Jack and Sherrill owned and operated Parish Hill Orchard in
Chaplin, CT, from 1980 until 2003. Here they enjoyed the farm with their
children and grandchildren, who they considered their greatest blessing. Jack’s
family remembers him as the number one supporter of all their activities. He was
an outdoorsman who taught them hunting, fishing, and camping. With this in mind,
the family built a mountain house near Breckinridge, CO, which became the family
get-away.
In his later years, Jack developed Parkinson’s Disease and then
cervical and lumbar stenosis. This robbed him of his articulate speech and most
motor skills. He went through this period with the amazing strength and dignity
that had characterized him throughout his life. He often said “Every problem
that presents itself, every challenge one faces in life … is just another
opportunity in which to excel.” Jack did excel, in service to his country and
community, and love for his family. Well done, Jack.
The Arnet family now continues their life’s mission, flying
without him in their own “Missing Man” formation. |
