Legacy’s Centenarians:

The Life Story of Jim McCubbin

Renaissance Marquis, Rome GA

Jim McCubbin was born March 5, 1921, and he remembers a childhood full of spending time with his two sisters, playing chess and other games, reading and hanging out with friends and family. His father was a teacher and his mother a homemaker. He says his childhood was a happy one.

As a young adult, Jim attended Colombia University and graduated with an Engineering degree. He then enlisted with the Air Force during the height of World War II. He flew a fighter jet (a P-51 Mustang) called “The Mary Al,” which he still remembers fondly. Jim went on 44 missions, equating to almost 200 combat hours.

On February 19, 1945, Jim’s plane was shot down during battle after shooting down nine planes himself. Jim and his co-pilot wandered around the German countryside until they found a farmhouse where a kind woman scrounged up some sauerkraut for them to eat. “I will never forget the generosity and courage that she had,” Jim commented. They were captured by the Germans and taken to a Prisoner of War camp. For three days, Jim was held in a sweatbox until it was determined he could become an ordinary prisoner of war. He was fed soup with worms and beans, and he tried to avoid eating the worms as long as possible, but he eventually needed the protein. He was there for nearly four months until the war ended. Jim was later awarded the Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross for surviving that crash.

After the war, Jim married his wartime sweetheart, Betty Jane in March 1946. They had gone on only one date before Jim left for the war, but they kept in touch the whole time. Together they had four children, Debbie, Jack, Carleen and Ken. His family has now grown to nine grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren, and he loves spending time with them.

Jim and Betty loved to travel together and went to at least 30 countries over the years, and every chance he got, he would fly his own plane. If he wasn’t flying or spending time with his family and friends, you may have found him visiting the zoo.

Jim went into the plastics industry, starting his own business in Kansas but eventually moving it to Mexico City. He retired at 55 and bought a farm in California, but he made his way to Cedartown to be closer to his daughter, Carleen, and her family. Jim moved into Renaissance Marquis nearly 15 years ago. He loves spending time with the friends he has made at Renaissance Marquis and telling his wartime stories.