James H. Foxgrover *59

James Foxgrover, a retired rear admiral, naval aviator, and engineer, died July 30, 2011. He was 85.

Foxgrover completed his bachelor’s degree in 1948 at Iowa State University under the Navy’s V-12 program. He attended Naval Test Pilot School and the Naval Postgraduate School. In 1959, he received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton. He also graduated from the Naval War College, the National War College, and George Washington University with a master’s degree in international relations.

While in the Navy, he qualified in innumerable aircraft, held important positions in the Pacific Fleet, and commanded both the Naval Air Station in Miramar, Calif., and the Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River, Md.

Foxgrover changed the Navy’s practice of buying aircraft and then paying for safety retrofitting. He successfully required that planes be built with all needed safety components in place. For this saving of lives, time, and money, he was honored by the Naval Materiel Command. After 33 years of service, Foxgrover retired in 1979 and raised cattle for the next 10 years.

Foxgrover is survived by Delores, his wife of 62 years; three children, including John *82; eight grandchildren, including Victoria ’10; and two great-grandchildren.