James Spencer Calvert

Like most obituaries, this one will be full of the many accomplishments and activities of Jim Calvert. He wrote much of it! As his children, we want to honor our father’s wishes to include those things he felt were important. But we will also speak of our dad because we knew the kind, humble man behind the accomplishments.

He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 31, 1924, the eldest son of James Henry and Carolyn Rice Calvert. He was a resident of San Antonio most of his life since moving to the city in 1932 when his father became president of Joske’s Department Stores. Jim graduated from Texas Military Institute as valedictorian of the Class of 1941, where he was also captain of the 5-state 8th Corp Area Championship Rifle Team. He entered Princeton University in 1941 at the age of 16 where he roomed for three years with his fellow San Antonian and life-long best friend, Harry Swearingen. He also took great pleasure (except when it came to paying tuition) in having his first three children also attend Princeton. That bond continued with many happy times at Princeton reunions.

Like most young men of that era, war interrupted Jim’s educational plans. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 after Pearl Harbor but was not called to active duty until May 1943 at Dodd Field in San Antonio. After 2½ years in the Air Corps, he graduated from Princeton in 1947 as a proud member of the Class of 1945 with a B.A degree. His degree was in economics, but he always said if he could do it over, he would be a history major. Jim loved history and had an encyclopedic memory for names and dates even into his 90s – something that always amazed his children.

In 1949 he received a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He spent his entire 38-year business career in department stores in Greensboro NC, Houston TX and Joske’s in San Antonio, where he returned in 1959. He held a variety of buying, merchandising, operations and branch store management positions during his years with Joske’s, retiring as a Vice President in 1987.

During WWII, he was a pilot in the Army Air Corps. He received his pilot training with the British Royal Air Force at one of its four United States training schools at Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ. Upon graduating in June 1944, he was authorized to wear not only the Army Air Corp pilot wings, but also the same RAF wings his father wore in England as a pilot in WWI with the Royal Flying Corps, which became the Royal Air Force. He always loved flying and was especially proud of his father’s service to Great Britain. In 1994, as a member of the Hump Pilots Association, Jim was awarded the wings of the Taiwan Republic of China for his service in China in WWII. This made Jim Calvert one of only three pilots in the world to wear the wings of three countries: United States, Great Britain and China. This distinction came to attention of then-President George W. Bush who invited Jim to meet him in the Oval Office in 2008. Jim gratefully attended with his children and two of his brothers, Jonathan and Richard. It was one of Jim’s great thrills later in life.

He flew C-47 transports in the air supply routes of the China-Burma-India Theater to bring supplies to the Chinese troops fighting the Japanese. This assignment was known as flying The Hump, because pilots flew over the Himalayan mountain range, an extremely dangerous terrain and the worst flying weather in the world. Jim’s group flew more than 15 missions over the Hump, but most of its activity was in China itself, supplying the Chinese armies and the American 14th Air Force under General Claire Chennault. The Hump supply operation kept the Chinese armies in the war and tied up over a million Japanese troops that otherwise would have been able to fight our troops in the Pacific. His C-47 group received a Unit Commendation from General Chennault and indirectly from Chang-Kai-Shek, President of China, for its work in supplying the Chinese armies. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Asiatic Pacific ribbon with three battle stars and the American Theater Ribbon.

After the war and finishing his education, he did what most returning servicemen did: he got married! A beautiful young lady named Mary Anita Dittmar was making her debut in 1950. Jim was smitten and so was she. They married January 30, 1951. Although they were both from San Antonio, his budding business career took the newlyweds to North Carolina, then Houston, then finally back to San Antonio. Over the course of those moves they were blessed to have six children.

During his life in San Antonio, he served in many business and civic leadership roles. He always attended the San Antonio Opera and often enjoyed being an extra on stage.

But Jim’s primary civic interest was also his passion: the San Antonio Symphony, where his mother was a founding director. He was a director for 32 years, during which time he served as President and then Chairman of the Board. During his tenure as president, he personally persuaded Mayor Walter McAllister and the City Council members to start giving financial support from the city, which continues to this day. His tenure as president ended with an operating surplus in both years, believed to be one of the few –if only—times this had taken place during the 80+ year history of the Symphony. He was the only person attending the 75th Symphony anniversary celebration who was actually there when it first began! Jim loved classical music his entire life and had a phenomenal memory for composers and their works. For many years he provided support for the Harpists’ position to honor his mother’s own skill in playing that instrument. He and Mary Anita also endowed two scholarships for violin at the Round Top Festival Institute.

Jim’s life as a family man was marked by loving devotion to his wife, Mary Anita, and his six children. They were a good team. He drove thousands of miles taking his family on multiple camping and backpacking trips to Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming and to see many other great sites of our country like the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. Those camping trips were some of the great gifts his kids continue to treasure.

He loved fly fishing in Colorado and Wyoming and hunting on the family ranch in Frio County. He treasured his lifetime of activity at the family lake house near San Antonio. In his later years, he traveled near and far with his children, including to Alaska, Great Britain, Italy, France, and Antarctica.

Jim had the distinction of being the most senior member of the Texas Cavaliers, serving since 1950. He was the only Cavalier to march in the inaugural parades of two presidents – Ike Eisenhower and George W. Bush. Jim was a member of the Texas Cavaliers, the Conopus Club, the military Order of the Daedalians, the Hump Pilots Association and the Royal Air Force Club in London. He was a former member of the San Antonio Country Club, the Order of the Alamo and The German Club.

He is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 62 years, Mary Anita Dittmar Calvert, his brothers David Calvert and Jonathan Calvert, and his grandson Robert “Tex” Higginbotham. He is survived by his six children: Carolyn Calvert Phipps (Steve); James Spencer Calvert, Jr.(Sherrill), Elizabeth Calvert Hickman (Greg): Joseph Dittmar Calvert (Rhonda); Richard Elmer Rice Calvert (Edward Bownds); Lucile Calvert Higginbotham (Robert). Grandchildren: Sarah Phipps Wanenchak (Rob), Paul Phipps, Emma Phipps, Catherine Calvert Urban (Chris), Andrew Calvert (Lizzie), MaryJane Higginbotham, Maggie Higginbotham, and Anne Higginbotham. He has one great-grandchild, Audrey Sherrill Urban. Jim is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law Richard and Peggy Calvert, sister-in-law Betty “Betts” Calvert, brother-in-law Joe Dittmar, and sister-in-law Betty Dittmar Stone (Leland) as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was so grateful for and blessed by the love and companionship of Lillian Morris for the past eight years. She shared his love of music, the arts, history, and all things San Antonio. She gave him much joy during their years together.

The family is grateful for the many tender staff at Caring Hearts, as well as Guiding Light Hospice. They are especially grateful to Taide Casas for her many years of loving service to both their parents.

A celebration of the life of this extraordinary husband, father, brother, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend will be held on Thursday, June 10, 2021, 4:00 p.m., at the Margarite B. Parker Chapel, One Trinity Place 78212 (on Trinity University campus).

Honorary Pallbearers are Harry Swearingen, Richard W. Calvert, and Joseph E Dittmar.

In lieu of flowers, Jim requests that contributions be made to the San Antonio Symphony, Texas Military Institute, the Witte Museum, the Texas Cavaliers Foundation, or the Brackenridge Park Conversancy.