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James C. McReynolds, Jr (aka ‘Mac’) is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with twenty-three years of active duty in what was then known as the communications-computer career field. Immediately after active duty (2000), he was employed for two years with Verizon Communications as a manager in the Norfolk, Virginia Dispatch Center. Heeding the call once again from the government sector, he returned as a defense contractor in 2002 supporting Joint Forces Command at Norfolk Naval Base and the headquarters in Suffolk, Virginia until his retirement in 2012.
Upon retiring from the Air Force, James felt the commitment to “give back” for his good fortune while offering his experience and service to those in need. He responded to an article in the local paper asking for volunteers to assist the York County Meals on Wheels program and thought he would spend time delivering meals as a driver to learn more about the organization and how he might be able to contribute. He met with the author of the newspaper article who also was serving as the Meals on Wheels Treasurer. By the time he attended his first Meals on Wheels quarterly meeting, Mac was astonished when he was nominated and approved as the new treasurer. Mac served as treasurer for nineteen years and in 2019, he was nominated and voted in as chairman. A position he is honored to still hold today.
The USAFA Way of Life (WOL) Alumni Group is an organization that has always been near and dear to Mac’s heart. In June 2002, at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., he was one of the cadre of USAFA alumni on the initial planning committee to brainstorm and document the purpose, mission statement, goals, and organizational structure of what became the USAFA WOL Alumni Group. Mac was one of three who traveled to USAFA to make the case with the Association of Graduates (AOG) President that the timing was right to honor the first class of African-American USAFA graduates (3 in the Class of ’63) by having an all-class African-American USAFA alumni reunion with AOG sponsorship. They advocated to have the organization accepted as one of the newly established AOG Affinity Groups with all of the privileges and responsibilities associated therein. This culminated in the first ever USAFA Way of Life 2003 Alumni Reunion, (June 2003), “Celebrating 40 Years of African-American Graduates”. Honorees: Charles Bush, Roger Sims, and Isaac Payne. The attendees voted to formalize the WOL organization by nominating and voting in a slate of officers. Mac was elected as secretary. Later, he was asked to step down as secretary to lead the membership committee. Richard Hall (USAFA ’79) was elected the first President of the Way of Life Alumni Group. Rich was a tireless and passionate mentor and the visionary and chief architect of the 2010 Inaugural Super Union, the first gathering of African-American graduates of all five service academies at National Harbor, MD (Aug 2010). Even though Mac was active in all aspects of Super Reunion I, he will tell you he was just holding on to Rich’s flight suit. Not satisfied with Super Reunion I, Rich and Mac repeated the event, two years later, only bigger and better with Super Reunion II at Walt Disney World Orlando, FL (Aug 2012).
In his local community, Mac’s actions are closely aligned with the mission of USAFA Admissions: To seek, recruit, and deliver a diverse group of young men and women who possess the attributes to become U.S. Air Force and Space Force in service to our Nation.
Mac is married to the former Dorothy Wilson of Denver, Colorado and has two grown daughters.