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JAMES O. Age 92, died on May 18, 2011. Jim was born in Cleveland Ohio on February 4, 1919, only son of Elmer H. Aubele and Charlotte M. Juengling Aubele Beers and, after the early death of his father, his dearly loved stepfather Elmer F. Beers. He graduated from West Technical High School in 1937, during the Great Depression, as president of the prestigious Hi-Y Club and one of two Valedictorians of his class. He began work for WHK Radio in Cleveland directly from high school, during the golden age of radio; working up from gofer to sound effects and recording engineer, while attending night classes at Cleveland College (part of Western Reserve University). At WHK, one of the first six broadcast stations in the nation, then located in the Terminal Tower, he designed the antenna and ball on top of the tower, and was the audio engineer on duty during Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast, overseeing the sound across 200 stations of the CBS Radio Network. After five years of night classes, he had completed two years toward his degree, but was interrupted by WWII. He was accepted for the Army Aviation Cadet Program in 1941, prior to Pearl Harbor, and reported in January 1942. He was first in his class to solo in Primary Flight Training at Merced Field, Oxnard CA. He married Ruth Anne Manning, also from Cleveland, on August 27, 1942 in Phoenix AZ, on the same day that he graduated from Luke Field Advanced Flight Training as an officer and pilot in the Army Air Corps. After training in Boise, Alamogordo, Topeka, and Salina, he was assigned as a B-17 (Flying Fortress) pilot in the 8th Air Force, 305th Bomb Group, and 364th Squadron, stationed at Chelveston, England; among the first five groups sent to England early in the war, the 305th BG was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations. On May 17th 1943, on his fifth mission, his plane was shot down over Lorient France. After helping surviving crew members get out, he bailed out, wounded, and was captured and spent two years in German P.O.W. camps Stalag Luft III (Sagan), where he was involved in some of the larger planning for the "Great Escape," and Stalag VIIA (Moosburg); the forced march from Sagan to Moosburg during a winter blizzard permanently damaged his feet; liberated by American task force on April 29, 1945; reserve officer from 1946 to 1952. Returned to Cleveland; worked for a short time at Aeroways as a pilot, Prudential Insurance, and Central National Bank, before returning to WHK Radio for approximately 20 years as a licensed radio engineer, working as recording engineer, studio engineer, production manager, business manager, and operations manager. He produced an audio summary each day of the 1954 army-McCarthy hearings, and recorded national interviews with famous broadcasters and all time great celebrities in his studio from Bing Crosby to the Beatles. In 1971, he moved his family to Albuquerque, NM, for his wife's health; and worked at KOB Radio as Chief Audio Engineer and Audio Production Manager, until retirement in 1982. Continued audio production work as a contractor and consultant; designed three audio studios; served as voice coach and session director for Albuquerque agencies and studios such as The Idea People, AdWorks, J.Wilson & Assoc.; directed audio production studio sessions at Audio By Design and John Wagner Studios for national spot campaigns that aired across the county in all 50 states. He was a friend and mentor to many in the Albuquerque advertising and recording community; responsible for the audio of numerous award-winning ads and programs; awarded the highest honor given by the NM Advertising Federation, the Silver Medal, in 1981. Retired fully in 1998. Loved cars, driving trips, photography, scrambled eggs, hot dogs, pumpkin pie, and ice cream; cherished and cared for his family every day of his life. He will be remembered and missed by all who knew him. Preceded in death by his two sisters and dearly loved wife, Ruth, who died in 1975. Survived by his daughter and son-in-law Jayne C. Aubele and Larry S. Crumpler (Albuquerque, NM); sisters-in-law Susan L. Manning and Dorothy M. Piotrowski (North Olmsted, OH) and nieces and nephews. A celebration of his life will be held on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. in the Reflection of Life Chapel (Washington and Cutler NE). Interment of his and Ruth's ashes to follow at Santa Fe National Cemetery at 2:15 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the American Red Cross, who he credited with saving his and others' lives as a P.O.W. Please visit James' online guestbook at: www.Reflectionoflife.com. REFLECTIONS Funerals & Life Celebrations Louis & Gloria Salazar 2400 Washington Street NE 884-5777
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