James Richmond, 96, a native son of Indiana, passed away peacefully on December 15, 2023, in Flower Mound, Texas. Jim was born in Sullivan, Indiana to Kenneth and Gladys Richmond on November 22, 1927 and was raised by his loving grandparents Ernest and Lulu Jane Richmond.

After graduating from Sullivan High School in 1945 and with World War II still raging, Jim had the courage and love for our country to enlist in the U.S. Navy, where he served aboard the USS Mount McKinley and USS 419.  After being honorably discharged in 1948 he studied at Rose Hulman Polytechnic and was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity.  He then pursued a lifelong career in engineering where he contributed to countless technological and design improvements for his employers.  By the time of his retirement from Emerson Electric in 2000 he had been listed as an inventor on 36 U.S. Patents.

Since age 5 Jim pursued his life-long hobby of building and flying model airplanes and proudly represented the USA in the global sport of aeromodelling.  Over his aeromodelling career, Jim had been a USA team member at 15 FAI World Championships placing first eight times, set eight indoor world records, and earned 61 national indoor flight records.

Jim's many aeromodelling accomplishments and awards include the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) Distinguished Service Award, induction into the AMA Hall of Fame, induction into the National Free Flight Society (NFFS) Hall of Fame, Seven NFFS Plan of the Year statuses, the Federation Aeronautque Internationale (FAI, the international governing body of world aviation) Paul Tissandier Diploma, and the prestigious FAI Alphonse Penaud Diploma of which only a handful of Americans have ever been awarded.  In 2023, Jim was inducted in the inaugural class of FAI CIAM Legends and awarded the National Aeronautical Association (NAA) Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman of Aviation Award.

One of Jim's favorite places to fly and the site of two World Championships was the Hotel and Spa in West Baden, Indiana.  At that location, every March the best aeromodeller fliers in the world come to compete in the "Jim Richmond Open" a competition established in his honor in 2017.

Jim is survived by Mariana, his wife of 48 years, his daughter from his first marriage, Kimberly Benham (Aaron) of Sullivan, Indiana, son Mark Richmond (Kiyoko) and his two young grandsons Nicholas and William Richmond, of Lantana, Texas.  He was preceded in death by one son from his first marriage, Randy Richmond.

A Celebration of Life will take place at 2 p.m. on Thursday December 21, 2023, with a visitation starting at 1 p.m. Services will take place at Mulkey Mason Funeral Home 740 S. Edmonds Ln. Lewisville, Tx 75067.

Below is an article by the National Free Flight Society honoring and recognizing the profound impact Jim had on both full scale and model aviation.

https://www.freeflight.org/jimrichmond/