James & Rose Rainbolt Memorial Scholarship
JAMES & ROSE RAINBOLT
F. James Rainbolt was born May 27, 1912 in Butler, Tennessee, the son of Alvin and Lilly Rainbolt. . He was one of ten children. He enlisted in the
Army in 1934 and served initially at Fort Monroe, Virginia. For most of his military career he served in antiaircraft units. No radar existed in the early part of his career, so aircraft had to be spotted visually. Master Sergeant Rainbolt had excellent vision, which served him well in all his antiaircraft
assignments. Later in life, his vision allowed him to spot “ducks and pheasants from miles away.”
On August 6, 1942, while stationed at Fort Totten, New York, he married Rose Miranda. In 1946 he served an assignment with the Military Police at Fort Bliss, Texas. Other training and anti-aircraft assignments included Fort Sheridan, Illinois; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Camp Maxey, Texas, where he was stationed at the end of World War II. From 1949 to 1951 he was stationed on Okinawa, where he served during the Korean Conflict.
He retired from the Army in 1956 as a master sergeant after serving his last tour at Camp Hanford, Washington. His unit at Camp Hanford near Richland, Washington, was responsible for the security at the Hanford Atomic Works. Following retirement, he moved to Pasco, Washington, where he worked for the U.S. Army Reserve Center. Master Sergeant Rainbolt loved the outdoors of the Northwest and enjoyed hunting pheasant and ducks and fishing for bass and perch in Eastern Washington. Having been raised in the backwoods of Tennessee, he brought a unique skill to his son’s Boy Scout troop. He assisted in teaching scouts outdoor cooking, camping, marksmanship, and survival skills in the woods. One of his favorite places was the Boy Scout Camp at Lake Wallowa in Eastern Oregon. He was in his own element in the woods with a shotgun or on a lake with a fishing pole.
He and his wife, Rose, moved from Pasco to the Seattle area in June 1976 to be close to their son, Alvin, and his family. There he became an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching the University of Washington Huskies, Seattle Mariners, and the Seattle Seahawks. He died at Stevens Memorial Hospital in Edmonds, Washington on February 16, 1996, at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife of fifty-three years, Rose, and his sons Michael and Alvin.
Michael and his wife Maxine had settled in Corvallis, Oregon, and Alvin and his wife Judy had settled in Seattle, Washington. Master Sergeant Rainbolt had numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Through the generous donations of his family and friends, a scholarship was established in his memory in February 1996, and the first award was made in May 1996. The award honors the memory of Master Sergeant Rainbolt and serves as a reminder of the significant contributions made by the noncommissioned officers of the military. He nurtured many young lieutenants through their early years and saw many rise to the rank of colonel.
Rose Rainbolt passed away in August 2006 and the scholarship was renamed to honon them both.