John Lacouture, a retired Navy captain who flew many types of aircraft, died Aug. 16, 2010, of congestive heart failure. He was 92.

Lacouture graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1940, and received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton in 1950.

During World War II, he flew several aircraft, including the F4U Corsair. After the war, he flew jets and eventually commanded two aircraft carriers. For his service, he received two Legion of Merit awards.
Lacouture retired from the Navy in 1970, and then worked for the defense contractor Ling-Temo-Vaught (LTV) for 10 years. He was involved with the development of the Corsair II, a carrier-based jet-fighter plane.
Lacouture’s marriages to Elizabeth Monrose and Jean Smith ended in divorce. His wife of five years, Helen Refo Lacouture, died in 2000. From his first marriage, Lacouture is survived by four children, nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.


Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.

Graduate Class of 1950