James “Jim” G. Stofer W50 passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2016, surrounded by his family while listening to music. He was born on October 14, 1921, in Brooklyn, where he grew up in a large family. After he dropped out of Boys High School over a disagreement with a teacher, Jim decided to see the world and joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 17. It was in the Navy that he finished high school. Jim served on the cruiser USS Portland (“Sweet Pea”), one of the most decorated ships of World War II. He was a first class petty officer radioman. He also edited the ship’s newspaper and served as its historian. Although he was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941, the USS Portland was on maneuvers on December 7. It returned to port two days after the attack. Jim served in many major battles, including Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal, and received many military honors, including a Purple Heart. While on leave during World War II, he married his good friend and wife of over 70 years, Marie Joan Curley, who predeceased him. They had two children, Andrea and Eugene, during the war. After the war, he and his family moved to Plattsburgh, where he attended what is now SUNY Plattsburgh; later, he graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.