Jim Hardy Clary ¹

  General Notes:

Jim Hardy Clary

Jim H. Clary passed away on Jan. 11, 2010. He was 70.

Jim was born on Sept. 23, 1939, in Plainview, Texas, the second son of Arthur and Gladys Clary. In 1941, the family moved from Plainview to Lubbock and established residence on 22nd Street, on a block west of what was then College Avenue. At the time, 22nd Street was unpaved.

Jim attended public school in Lubbock at Roscoe Wilson Elementary, JT Hutchinson Jr. High, and graduated from Monterey High School in 1958. He then entered Texas A&M University. In 1962, Jim received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics.

While attending A&M, Jim was a member of the Aggie Corps of Cadets and upon graduation, he received a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry in the U.S. Army. His first military assignment was with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C. He served as a rifle platoon leader. During this period, he led his platoon on 16 parachute jumps, including one of the largest peace time military airborne maneuvers in U.S. history, Operation Swift Strike. After 12 months at Fort Bragg, Jim entered the Army's Officer Rotary Wing Flight Training Program. He earned his Army Aviator wings in 1964. His flight class was the first Army Aviator class to be assigned, as a class, to Vietnam.

Jim spent two, one-year tours of duty in Vietnam, where he amassed over 1,000 hours of combat flying time, the majority of which was in helicopter gunships. In 1964, Jim participated in the Battle of the La Drang Valley, made famous by the Mel Gibson movie, Once We Were Soldiers, and Young. In 1968, Jim flew virtually around the clock during the Tet Offensive. For his efforts in Vietnam, Jim was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallentry, the Air Medal with 23 Oak Leaf Clusters and 2 "V" devices, the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal. Jim was one of the first Army Aviators to fly the Huey Cobra Gunship in combat. He separated from the service in 1971 with the rank of Major.

As a civilian, Jim established and operated an agricultural irrigation business in West Texas for nine years. In 1980, he entered the financial services industry, where he spent the next 28 years distinguishing himself as an Investment Advisor and Certified Financial Planner. During this time, Jim received numerous awards and designations. His accomplishments provided Jim and his beloved wife of 33 years, Sue, the opportunity to travel to many desirable domestic locations and numerous international sites such as Brazil, Venezuela, Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

During his active career, Jim served a three-year term as a board member of Lubbock's Better Business Bureau. He was a member of The Former Students Association at Texas A&M, The Aggie Club, Lubbock A&M Club, Texas Tech's Red Raider Club, The Chancellor's Council at Texas Tech and The West Texas Museum Association.

For the 14 years prior to his retirement in May 2008, Jim was the owner and principal of Clary Securities, LLC, a Broker/Dealer and Clary Asset Management, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor.

Jim is survived by his wife Sue. They were married Aug. 10, 1976. Jim is also survived by his sons from a previous marriage, Scott of San Antonio, David and Ross of Houston, and Stephen of Dallas.

It was Jim's wish that there be no memorial service.

Memorial gifts can be made to the American Cancer Society, 3411 73rd Street, Lubbock, TX 79423-1101.

Cremation arrangements are under the direct supervision of Lake Ridge Chapel and Memorial Designers.


Abstract of Obit
http://wikibin.org/articles/jim-h.-clary.html

Jim H. Clary

Jim Hardy Clary (September 23, 1939-January 11, 2010) was a Lubbock, Texas, businessman and a decorated United States Army officer in the Vietnam War.

Clary was born in Plainview, the seat of Hale County, Texas, the second son of Arthur Clary (1904-1965) and the former Gladys Hardman (1906-1975).In 1941, his family moved to Lubbock, where he graduated in 1958 from Monterey High School. He then entered Texas A&M University in College Station, from which in 1962 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics. He was a member of the Aggie Corps of Cadets and was commissioned upon graduation as an Army second lieutenant. He was first assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he was a rifle platoon leader. He led his platoon on sixteen parachute jumps, including the large maneuver known as "Operation Swift Strike". In 1964, he acquired his army aviator wings and was soon part of the first aviator class assigned to South Vietnam.

In two one-year tours of duty in Vietnam, Clary amassed over one thousand hours of combat flying time, mostly in helicopter gunships. In November 1965, Clary fought in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, as depicted in the Mel Gibson film We Were Soldiers, based on the book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In February 1968, Clary flew around the clock during the Tet Offensive. He won the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross, the Air Medal with 23 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star, and the Army Commendation Medal. He was among the first Army aviators to fly the HueyCobra gunship in combat. He left the military in 1971 at the rank of major. He was a board member of the Lubbock Better Business Bureau and the West Texas Museum Association. He was a member of the TAMU Association of Former Students, the Aggie Club, the Lubbock A&M Club, and the Texas Tech University Red Raider Club.

Clary died in Lubbock at the age of seventy. He was survived by his wife, the former Vanita Sue Collings (born 1944), whom he married in 1976, and four sons from a previous marriage, Robertson Scott Clary (born 1964) of San Antonio, David Hardman Clary and Ross Hampton Clary (both born ca. 1971) of Houston, and Steven Grigsby Clary (born 1972) of Dallas. Clary was cremated.

Senior Safety: Understanding how diseases affect elderly can help protect them
Published in Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Wednesday, 13 Jan 2010
SARAH NIGHTINGALE

Excerpt:
On Monday, police officials were preparing an alert for 70-year-old Lubbock resident Jim Hardy Clary, who left home for a doctor's appointment he didn't keep. He was found dead before a statewide alarm was raised.

From Our Courts (Lubbock, Texas)
Published in Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Saturday, 20 Feb 2010

COUNTY COURT
JUDGE TOM HEAD

In the interest of the late Jim Hardy Clary, application for probate of will and muniment of letters testamentary by Sue Collings Clary

  Additional Information:

• Military Service: Major, US Army, 1962-1971, Memorial# 50051094.

• FindAGrave: Memorial# 46619307.

Jim married Vanita Sue Collings, daughter of James Franklin Collings and Lola Mae Littlepage.