Jack T. Bales, longtime Manhattan Beach resident and real estate investor, passed away at his home May 2, 2011 from complications of pneumonia. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1918, Jack was related to famed WWII War Correspondent Ernie Pyle, who wrote about him and his B-29 Super Fortress squadron in a column from the Marianas Islands in February 1945. There, as part of the 875th Bomb Squad 498th Bomb Group, Jack trained 125 combat crews of B-29s in use of radar for navigation and bombardment and compiled a total of 785 flying hours.
Pyle wrote: "Jack has had two jars of Indiana fried chicken from my Aunt Mary. She cans it and seals it in Mason jars, and it's wonderful. She sent me some in France, but I'd left before it got there. Jack took some of his fried chicken in his lunch over Tokyo one day. We Hoosiers sure do get around, even the chickens."
He was the son of William F. Bales (1891-1960) and Beatrice Myer Bales (1896-1977). His father was a farmer and livestock raiser. His mother served as postmaster of the Dana, Indiana post office for 37 years. Jack is a direct descendent of Thomas White, a member of the famous Boston Tea Party who, disguised as a Mohawk Indian, helped throw King George's tea overboard in Boston Harbor in December 1773. He attended Indiana University (1937-38), received his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1941 and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1949. In 1948, he married Frances Nall (1924-2006), a USC graduate from Santa Ana, CA with whom he later collaborated in real estate investments. After the War, Jack served as a navigator-bombadier with the 4925 Atomic Test Group in Albuquerque, New Mexico from July 1950 to September 1951. He retired from the USAF in 1955 with the rank of major. From 1955 to his retirement in 1969, Jack worked in the aerospace industry, as a project engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company on the B-70, at North American Aviation Company, and at TRW on the Minuteman missile system. During the 1960s, Jack served for over two years as a planning commissioner for the city of Manhattan Beach. He began a new career in 1969 when he and his wife began to invest in local real estate. They bought and traded many commercial and residential properties in the South Bay. Jack resided at his Strand home from 1957 to his death. Jack and Frances maintained a summer home on Henry's Lake in Island Park, Idaho, where they supported the Henry's Fork Foundation, a non-profit conservation and research organization. Jack was an avid fly fisherman. In his early years in Manhattan Beach, he was a deep sea diver and body surfer. He is survived by a daughter, Susan Nall Bales, and son-in-law Dr. Michael Goldstein of Potomac, MD; a grandson, Andrew Goldstein, a graduate student at USC; and a brother, George "Bob" Bales of Birmingham, Alabama. Both Frances and Jack Bales were cared for in their later years by their dear friend, Beverly Pollock of Island Park, ID and her husband, Gary. A graveside service will be held Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. at Green Hills, 27501 South Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes. Please sign the guestbook at www.dailybreeze.com/obits.
Published in Daily Breeze on May 6, 2011
Pyle wrote: "Jack has had two jars of Indiana fried chicken from my Aunt Mary. She cans it and seals it in Mason jars, and it's wonderful. She sent me some in France, but I'd left before it got there. Jack took some of his fried chicken in his lunch over Tokyo one day. We Hoosiers sure do get around, even the chickens."
He was the son of William F. Bales (1891-1960) and Beatrice Myer Bales (1896-1977). His father was a farmer and livestock raiser. His mother served as postmaster of the Dana, Indiana post office for 37 years. Jack is a direct descendent of Thomas White, a member of the famous Boston Tea Party who, disguised as a Mohawk Indian, helped throw King George's tea overboard in Boston Harbor in December 1773. He attended Indiana University (1937-38), received his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1941 and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1949. In 1948, he married Frances Nall (1924-2006), a USC graduate from Santa Ana, CA with whom he later collaborated in real estate investments. After the War, Jack served as a navigator-bombadier with the 4925 Atomic Test Group in Albuquerque, New Mexico from July 1950 to September 1951. He retired from the USAF in 1955 with the rank of major. From 1955 to his retirement in 1969, Jack worked in the aerospace industry, as a project engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company on the B-70, at North American Aviation Company, and at TRW on the Minuteman missile system. During the 1960s, Jack served for over two years as a planning commissioner for the city of Manhattan Beach. He began a new career in 1969 when he and his wife began to invest in local real estate. They bought and traded many commercial and residential properties in the South Bay. Jack resided at his Strand home from 1957 to his death. Jack and Frances maintained a summer home on Henry's Lake in Island Park, Idaho, where they supported the Henry's Fork Foundation, a non-profit conservation and research organization. Jack was an avid fly fisherman. In his early years in Manhattan Beach, he was a deep sea diver and body surfer. He is survived by a daughter, Susan Nall Bales, and son-in-law Dr. Michael Goldstein of Potomac, MD; a grandson, Andrew Goldstein, a graduate student at USC; and a brother, George "Bob" Bales of Birmingham, Alabama. Both Frances and Jack Bales were cared for in their later years by their dear friend, Beverly Pollock of Island Park, ID and her husband, Gary. A graveside service will be held Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. at Green Hills, 27501 South Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes. Please sign the guestbook at www.dailybreeze.com/obits.
Published in Daily Breeze on May 6, 2011
Jack T. Bales, longtime Manhattan Beach resident and real estate investor, passed away at his home May 2, 2011 from complications of pneumonia. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1918, Jack was related to famed WWII War Correspondent Ernie Pyle, who wrote about him and his B-29 Super Fortress squadron in a column from the Marianas Islands in February 1945. There, as part of the 875th Bomb Squad 498th Bomb Group, Jack trained 125 combat crews of B-29s in use of radar for navigation and bombardment and compiled a total of 785 flying hours.
Pyle wrote: "Jack has had two jars of Indiana fried chicken from my Aunt Mary. She cans it and seals it in Mason jars, and it's wonderful. She sent me some in France, but I'd left before it got there. Jack took some of his fried chicken in his lunch over Tokyo one day. We Hoosiers sure do get around, even the chickens."
He was the son of William F. Bales (1891-1960) and Beatrice Myer Bales (1896-1977). His father was a farmer and livestock raiser. His mother served as postmaster of the Dana, Indiana post office for 37 years. Jack is a direct descendent of Thomas White, a member of the famous Boston Tea Party who, disguised as a Mohawk Indian, helped throw King George's tea overboard in Boston Harbor in December 1773. He attended Indiana University (1937-38), received his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1941 and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1949. In 1948, he married Frances Nall (1924-2006), a USC graduate from Santa Ana, CA with whom he later collaborated in real estate investments. After the War, Jack served as a navigator-bombadier with the 4925 Atomic Test Group in Albuquerque, New Mexico from July 1950 to September 1951. He retired from the USAF in 1955 with the rank of major. From 1955 to his retirement in 1969, Jack worked in the aerospace industry, as a project engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company on the B-70, at North American Aviation Company, and at TRW on the Minuteman missile system. During the 1960s, Jack served for over two years as a planning commissioner for the city of Manhattan Beach. He began a new career in 1969 when he and his wife began to invest in local real estate. They bought and traded many commercial and residential properties in the South Bay. Jack resided at his Strand home from 1957 to his death. Jack and Frances maintained a summer home on Henry's Lake in Island Park, Idaho, where they supported the Henry's Fork Foundation, a non-profit conservation and research organization. Jack was an avid fly fisherman. In his early years in Manhattan Beach, he was a deep sea diver and body surfer. He is survived by a daughter, Susan Nall Bales, and son-in-law Dr. Michael Goldstein of Potomac, MD; a grandson, Andrew Goldstein, a graduate student at USC; and a brother, George "Bob" Bales of Birmingham, Alabama. Both Frances and Jack Bales were cared for in their later years by their dear friend, Beverly Pollock of Island Park, ID and her husband, Gary. A graveside service will be held Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. at Green Hills, 27501 South Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes. Please sign the guestbook at www.dailybreeze.com/obits.
Published in Daily Breeze on May 6, 2011
Pyle wrote: "Jack has had two jars of Indiana fried chicken from my Aunt Mary. She cans it and seals it in Mason jars, and it's wonderful. She sent me some in France, but I'd left before it got there. Jack took some of his fried chicken in his lunch over Tokyo one day. We Hoosiers sure do get around, even the chickens."
He was the son of William F. Bales (1891-1960) and Beatrice Myer Bales (1896-1977). His father was a farmer and livestock raiser. His mother served as postmaster of the Dana, Indiana post office for 37 years. Jack is a direct descendent of Thomas White, a member of the famous Boston Tea Party who, disguised as a Mohawk Indian, helped throw King George's tea overboard in Boston Harbor in December 1773. He attended Indiana University (1937-38), received his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1941 and a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1949. In 1948, he married Frances Nall (1924-2006), a USC graduate from Santa Ana, CA with whom he later collaborated in real estate investments. After the War, Jack served as a navigator-bombadier with the 4925 Atomic Test Group in Albuquerque, New Mexico from July 1950 to September 1951. He retired from the USAF in 1955 with the rank of major. From 1955 to his retirement in 1969, Jack worked in the aerospace industry, as a project engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company on the B-70, at North American Aviation Company, and at TRW on the Minuteman missile system. During the 1960s, Jack served for over two years as a planning commissioner for the city of Manhattan Beach. He began a new career in 1969 when he and his wife began to invest in local real estate. They bought and traded many commercial and residential properties in the South Bay. Jack resided at his Strand home from 1957 to his death. Jack and Frances maintained a summer home on Henry's Lake in Island Park, Idaho, where they supported the Henry's Fork Foundation, a non-profit conservation and research organization. Jack was an avid fly fisherman. In his early years in Manhattan Beach, he was a deep sea diver and body surfer. He is survived by a daughter, Susan Nall Bales, and son-in-law Dr. Michael Goldstein of Potomac, MD; a grandson, Andrew Goldstein, a graduate student at USC; and a brother, George "Bob" Bales of Birmingham, Alabama. Both Frances and Jack Bales were cared for in their later years by their dear friend, Beverly Pollock of Island Park, ID and her husband, Gary. A graveside service will be held Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. at Green Hills, 27501 South Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes. Please sign the guestbook at www.dailybreeze.com/obits.
Published in Daily Breeze on May 6, 2011
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