James Vickery, a golden-voiced broadcaster, master at sea, model railroader, devoted golfer, and wily poker player, died of lung cancer June 4, 2011, in Annapolis, Md.
Jim was born in White Plains, N.Y., Aug. 9, 1933, and raised in Scarsdale, N.Y., Washington, D.C., and Dennis, Mass., where he acquired his lifelong love for all things nautical. At Princeton he was an economics major who roomed with Robert S. Towers Jr. and Robert D. Woolverton.
Jim completed Naval ROTC, was commissioned as a Naval Reserve officer, and served in Morocco and Rhode Island before honorable discharge.
In 1956, Jim married Anne McCoy and they became the parents of William, Katherine, and James.
At WOTT in Watertown, N.Y., Jim began his broadcasting career as an on-air radio personality. He was TV news anchor at WNBF in Binghamton, N.Y., and finally had a 30-year career as an advertising sales executive in New York and Ohio. He was chief barker for the Tent 7 chapter of the Variety Club of Buffalo, a philanthropic organization for children.
In 1998, Jim and Anne retired to Annapolis. His remains will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. To Anne, their children, William ’74, Katherine ’80, and James; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren, the class extends sympathy.