James P. Woolsey

Jim Woolsey, cherished husband, loving father and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer. He had a distinguished career as an aviation writer culminating as Editor in Chief of Air Transport World. He was passionate about many things, including photography, golf, trains, sailing, reading, airplanes, and most of all, baseball. Spending summers in Brooklyn as a boy, he was an avid Dodger fan and spent time with many of the great players of the 1950s at home games and most notably as a bat boy during a once in a lifetime road trip with the team to Philadelphia. To each of his many interests, he brought great intellectual curiosity and energy, which were surpassed only by his insatiable desire to share what he knew with others. He will be missed for his knowledge, his wit, and the sense of fun and mischief that popped up in everything he did. Born in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1937 to James P. Woolsey, Sr. and Eugenia Patten Woolsey, Jim moved to Alexandria in 1951. Apart from college and military service, he lived in the Washington, DC area for the rest of his life. He graduated from St. Stephens High School in 1956, where he lettered in basketball, football and baseball. In 1961 he graduated from The University of Virginia where he earned a B.A. in History and was a member of the golf team. He served in the Air Force from 1961 to 1965, including a tour in Kunsan, South Korea, followed by service in the Air Force Reserves until 1973. His aviation writing career included positions at Aviation Daily, American Aviation, Aviation Week and Space Technology, Airways and Air Transport World. He retired as ATW’s Editor in Chief and Associate Publisher after many successive years of growth under his stewardship. His writing and photography covered business and technology during the golden age of international jet travel, and earned him awards that included the Aviation/Space Writers Association’s Lauren D. Lyman Award and the Aerospace Writers/American Airline Public Relations Association’s Eugene Dubois Award for journalism excellence. Jim was a recognized expert in the U.S. and internationally, where industry leaders routinely sought his counsel on issues ranging from US aviation trends to suitable alliance partners. Jim’s passion for photography contributed to his journalistic success, but he was more pleased that his photographs of the people in his life will long be cherished by friends and family. Jim is survived by his wife of 40 years, Patricia Mann Woolsey, and his children and their families; James P. Woolsey III and Denise Raybon of Alexandria, VA, and their son Ben, Michael Douglas Woolsey and Annie Lei of Beijing, China and his two daughters Amanda and Leanne, and Kimberly Woolsey Craig and Tommy Craig of Fairfield, CT and their children, Casey, Katie and Patrick. Jim was pre-deceased by two sisters, Susan Lawrence Woolsey and “Kitty” Woolsey Whiteley. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim’s honor may be made to the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation to be used for youth baseball initiatives. Mail donations to: Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, 1500 S. Capitol St, SE, Washington, DC, 20003 or call 202.640.7124 to make a credit card donation. For more information about the Dream Foundation, visit www.nationals.com/dream