Mr. Larry O. James July 11, 1944 – March 13, 2014
Larry O. “Bear” James, 69, of Madison died Thursday, March 13, 2014 at home
He was survived by his wife of 48 years, Doris James; daughter, Donna Holland; son-in-law, Charles Holland; treasured grandson, Charlie Holland; sister, Doris Seibert of Decatur and several nieces and nephews.
Larry worked at Huntsville Orthopedic Associates for 29 years. He and his beloved “Mama” enjoyed extensive travel and many adventures.
Visitation and service were held at Valhalla Funeral Home on March 14, 2014.
Joseph C. Moquin
July 7, 1924 – March 16, 2014
Joseph C. Moquin, 89, of Madison, Alabama, passed away Sunday.
He was survived by his wife of 35 years, Anita J. Moquin, and his eight children and two step children. His sons are Michael of Sante Fe, New Mexico; Steve of Athens, Alabama; Clay of Huntsville, Alabama; Bill of Madison, Alabama; Paul of Decatur, Alabama; and Tom of Atlanta, Georgia. His two daughters are Meg Hereford, of Huntsville, Alabama and Sarah Jo Chadwell of Lester, Alabama. His two step children are John Higgins of, Madison, Alabama and Suzanne Carlisle of Athens, Alabama. He has nine grandchildren. He is survived by his brother Walter Moquin of Lakeville, MA, and his sister Mary Scotes of Chicago, IL.
A native of Middleboro, Massachusetts, Mr. Moquin served as a captain in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. After the war, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering at Washington University, in St Louis, Missouri. At age 28 he became Director of the Army Ordinance Management Engineering Program at Rock Island in 1952.
In the mid-Fifties, as the Space Race grew, Mr. Moquin answered the call of General John Medaris to move south and become chief management engineer for what was then the Army Ballistic Missile Agency. He served through the successful launch of our Nation’s first satellite, Explorer 1.
Joe Moquin provided Huntsville with corporate and civic leadership in the tumultuous years of the community’s technology boom. Mr. Moquin served first as Executive Vice President, then President, and briefly as Chairman of the Board of Teledyne Brown Engineering over three decades before retiring in 1989.
Joe Moquin started as Executive Vice President of Brown Engineering in 1959. Under his leadership, the company grew to more than 3,000 employees. The company merged with Teledyne, Inc. in 1967 to become Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE).
Mr. Moquin conceived, located, promoted and established Cummings Research Park (CRP). Brown Engineering was the first company to locate in the park in 1961. CRP is the nation’s second largest research park.
When Mr. Moquin retired as TBE Chairman in 1989 he was honored by 700 people at the Von Braun Civic Center with tributes that included a telegram from President Bush, flags flown aboard the Space Shuttle, and a street in Cummings Research Park named in his honor. U. S. Senator Howell Heflin characterized Joe Moquin as “one of the most informed and knowledgeable people in the defense and space industry and one of the first people I seek out for advice in these areas.”
Following that retirement from TBE he provided transitional leadership to two important community institutions, serving as interim President of the University of Alabama in Huntsville and interim director of the Space and Rocket Center.
He served for years as a board member of: Alabama A&M University, Alabama Heritage Trust Fund, UAH Foundation, UAB Board of Directors, NASA’s Advisory Council, Huntsville Madison County Chamber of Commerce and Harris Home for Children.
He received numerous awards and recognitions such as; Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, Huntsville’s Distinguished Service Award, 1993, and The Medaris Award from the local chapter of the American Defense Preparedness Association. He was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor, in 1991, and the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame, the Ordnance Corps Hall of Fame, and received an honorary Doctor of Science from UAH in 1983.
Visitation was from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday at St. John’s Catholic Church. The funeral service was at 10:00 a.m. Friday at the church. Burial was in Athens City Cemetery. (www.laughlinservice.com)
In lieu of flower the family requests that donations be made to Help Our Homeless Veterans and Citizens, c/o Rusty Loiselle, 12004 Hearthstone Circle, Huntsville, AL 35803; The Rose of Sharon Soup Kitchen, 2412 Memorial Parkway NW, Huntsville, AL 35810, PH: 256-536-2970 sharon@roseofsharonsoupkitchen.org; or The Alzheimer’s Association, 117A Longwood Drive, Huntsville, AL, 35801.
