R.J. Reynolds High School Alumni
Winston-Salem, North Carolina (NC)
John Ellen
R.J. Reynolds High School
Class of 1963
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JOHN'S PROFILE
| First Name | John |
| Last Name | Ellen |
| Graduation Year | Class of 1963 |
| Gender | Male |
| Current Location | Kure Beach, NC |
| Hometown | Winston-Salem |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| About Me | From Lieutenant to Councilman Although at the time (teenage Boy Scout) I did not consider I would fulfill my life’s dreams and goals by being in perpetual service to others, I now realize what a wonderful journey it has been. I was blessed to have a faith-based mother and father that taught me and my three brothers how important it was to give back. Our parents were Scout leaders and instilled in us that Scouting is adventure, family, fun, character, leadership and so much more. In Scouting, boys start with their best right-now selves and grow into their very best future selves. It’s hands-on learning and achievement that puts you in the middle of the action and prepares you for today – and for life. Of all the family aunts, uncles and cousins, only one cousin was serving in the Navy and my older brother was in the Air Force. During my tenth grade of high school, as my parents tried to get me focused on my future, I started telling them that I planned to be “a retired Air Force Officer”. Upon completion of a BS degree in Engineering Operations from NCSU, along with ROTC, I was sent to Los Angeles Air Force Station to help develop and procure communication satellites. I dug right in; joined the Junior Officer’s Council, played on the Base squash team and began my graduate work at the University of Southern California. Three years later, I hit my stride; the Air Force sent me to the 341st Strategic Missile Wing where I began as a Missile Combat Crew Commander. For some of you reading this it may sound strange, but I spent four full years as a crew member and only had two deputies and graduated the Vandenberg training as a Commander. My first Deputy took an early-out. I got a new Deputy from Vandenberg and we even got selected to the Shop “as a crew.” I applied for Top Hand, was selected and off to VAFB in the ICBM test organization. While serving in Top Hand (Chief of Development Engineering, 1st STRAD) a friend invited me to a meeting of the Lompoc, CA Jaycees. The last line of the Jaycee Creed states: “service to humanity is the best work of life”. This became my new favorite motto and I have tried to live this creed ever since. Along with joining the Jaycees, I was a VAFB Junior Officer Council member, Chair of Trustees at the Lompoc Methodist Church and was the 1976 Lompoc Flower Festival Parade Chairman, this is second only to the Rose Parade in number of flowered floats. Vandenberg was short lived as we were there only 26 months. Surprisingly, the Air Force selected me to attend the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. Along with 16 other officers from the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, we pursued a MS Degree in Information Technology, a new curriculum just coming into vogue. One off-duty highlight was playing on an NPS softball team. From NPS I was assigned to Systems Command Headquarters at Andrews AFB, MD and after 14 months moved across town to the Pentagon to be the Program Element Monitor for ICBM Modernization. Along with this great opportunity to serve Strategic Deterrence, I began to coach little league soccer and umpire little league baseball. Following DC and many hours in traffic, we moved to Whiteman AFB where I was the Squadron Commander of the 508th SMS. What a great experience molding young officers and sergeants into Air Force leaders. Some of the highlights included being the Olympic Arena Project Officer, being the base liaison to the town of Warrensburg, and the project lead for acquiring a new missile operation building and getting to work with the Army Corps of Engineers. After only 22 months, we moved to Omaha. At Strategic Air Command Headquarters my team of young missileers were responsible for planning the ICBM targeting requirements as part of the Joint Strategic Targeting Planning Staff. My third year at SAC I was the lead for building the SAC Program Objective Memorandum. Community involvement included assistant soccer coach and assistant Scoutmaster. Next, we found ourselves in Minot AFB, ND. After four months as the Deputy Chief of Missile Maintenance I was spirited away from the maintenance folks (something about left-handed wrenches) and I became the Director of Operations. After a short time as DO, the 91st Missile Wing was chosen by SAC to run a six-month pilot study regarding Group Commanders. The Director of Maintenance and I became de facto group commanders and not only had the day to day administration and operation of our two units but we now had command authority over our personnel. SAC agreed with our results and the age of Group Commanders was born; I was fortunate to assume Command of the 91st Missile Operations Group, the first-ever Group Commander in SAC. Back to DC after 22 months. Returning to DC near the end of my missile career had its reward because we were near both Robbie’s and my families in VA and NC. I was now the senior officer in missile modernization. I was even in the same office space with the same phone numbers that I served in as a Major. Knowing that I would retire within several years, I put a lot of effort into the community. I was a Scoutmaster, Chair of the Church Council, little league umpire, soccer coach, and coordinator for church youth mission trips. And to the dismay of my four children, I started working on my PHD program in Information Technology at George Mason University. Upon retiring I stayed at the Pentagon working for a small, woman-owned consulting firm, Aero Thermo Technology, Inc. I was the continuity person for nuclear command and control. During my 21 years in this position, I got to support some of the Air Force’s brightest young officers. There were 15 officers that filled that position as NC2 program monitor. Of the 15 officers, 9 were eligible for promotion during their assignment at the Pentagon. Of the 9 eligible for promotion, 6 were promoted “early”, we were rocking nuclear C2. Once all our children finished college, it was time to leave the Air Force behind. From ROTC, active duty and consulting we had spent 50 years serving strategic deterrence. I had so many opportunities that I had never thought possible 50 years earlier. Once we arrived in Kure Beach, NC, it was impossible to just lay back and go to the beach every day, although there was a fair amount of sun and surf. I joined the Kure Beach Planning and Zoning Commission and for 2 of the 4 years was the Chair of P&Z. Also, after meeting our local Congressman, David Rouzer, at a Law Enforcement Event, he asked me to join his Veterans Affairs Council; and I readily accepted. Wanting to try the next step, I ran for Town Councilman in 2017. The political process was amazing and I was able to draw upon my wealth of Air Force experiences (public speaking, problem solving, issue analysis, dress and bearing, person to person interaction, leadership, team participation, team building, debating issues, creating publications). Following 5 months of campaigning against 5 other candidates, I was elected and sworn in as a Kure Beach Tow...(read more) |
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Class of 1963 Alumni
→ Reunite with 42 class of 1963 alumni that have joined.
Jessica Martin
Class of 1996
Nik Dhunn
Class of 2014
Justin Foster
Class of 2000
Jeff Hartzog
Class of 1990
Whitney Walsh
Class of 1982
Robert Kirkland
Class of 1969
Carolyn Tucker
Class of 1963
Joe ( Butch) Biles
Class of 1970
Terryll Brewer
Class of 1962
Richard Wommack
Class of 1966
Takeoff Santana
Class of 2014
Suzanne Winters
Class of 1987
Mike Shamel
Class of 1979
John Black
Class of 2007
Stacey Jones
Class of 1989
Steven Gregory
Class of 1968
Erique Berry
Class of 2002
Debbie Runnion
Class of 1971
Recent Class of 1963 Reunions
Plan a Class of 1963 Reunion for Free
First Annual All Class Reunion Ball
Invited Classes: All Classes
Date: Jun 20, 2015
Description: This is a formal event. The ladies will be in beautiful gowns and the men in tuxedos. Non alumni are invited as long as ...(read more)
RJR Class of 1963 50th HS Reunion
Invited Classes: 1963
Date: Sep 14, 2013
Description: See website for details-www.rjr63reunion.myevent.com
Class of 1963 – Age 65 Reunion
Invited Classes: 1963
Date: Oct 23, 2010
Description: Optional-"on your own": Friday night Big Shotz Tavern-Stratford Rd Saturday K&W-8:30 AM RJR High School To...(read more)