General James M. Templeman US Army Retired

James Michael Templeman Born, June 10, 1920 in Asheville, North Carolina Died May 19, 2015 in Seattle Washington University of Washington BS Mathematics, Electrical Engineering 1943 University of Washington MS Physics 1950 Command and General Staff College 1955 Armed Forces Staff College 1963 National War College 1964 Married Norma Henderson on August 21st, 1948 Seattle Washington Children: Michael L. Templeman (1950), Patricia A. Templeman (1960) Grandchildren: LeeAnne Templeman, John Templeman, Olivia Butler Jim grew up in Centralia, Washington as the only son of Oliver and Louise Templeman. Jim enlisted in the US Army during WWII after earning undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington. He was then sent to study advanced engineering at Harvard and radar engineering at MIT. He was fortunate to study under a Nobel Laureate and the inventors of Sonar at MIT. Upon completion of these courses in 1945, Jim was sent to the Bureau of Standards, where he was put in a group known as Dave Diamond’s Fuse Fellows. When radar was new, this team designed and created tiny radars in bomb fuses so they could be made to explode at particular distances above ground. This team designed the detonation device for the Atom Bomb. At the conclusion of WWII, Jim was assigned the job of Assistant Marshall of the Court and the Communications Officer, assigned to the Secretariat for the International Military Tribunal, Far East, for Japan. Jim’s main job was to obtain and install for the courtroom the complete communications system which would provide for translation and recording of the Tribunal, also known as the Japanese war crimes trial. Of the many interesting experiences Jim had during that trial includes meeting and talking with several of the tribunal defendants such as Henry Pu Yi, the last Chinese emperor, deposed by Sun Yat Sen in 1911 as part of the revolution overturning the imperial government; the former Japanese Prime Minister Tojo who was executed after the tribunal ended; and Admiral Togo, who commanded the Japanese squadron that wiped out the Russian Navy in the Russo-Japanese War at Port Arthur. Jim went on to have a very successful career in the military, culminating in his promotion to Brigadier General in 1970. He travelled all over the world, living in Europe in service to the military for extended periods of time. Jim also served in Vietnam during the Tet offensive. In 1978 Jim was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Distinguished Service Medals are awarded for “exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States.” The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest award for non-combat actions of the Department of Defense and the individual branches of service. In 1978 Jim retired from the Army and moved to Seattle. He began a second career as a commercial real estate appraiser and worked all over Washington state. Jim was an avid hunter and fisherman. Jim and his wife, Norma, were long time supporters of the Pacific Northwest Ballet. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made out to Pacific Northwest Ballet