October 31, 2018
Page 15
Pioneering Air Force Vet Remembered
Obituary
Isaac ‘Ice’ Payne
IV grew up in
Vanport
Isaac “Ike” Sanders Payne IV,
born April 16, 1940, passed away
Friday Oct. 19, 2018 from heart
failure.
He is survived by daughters
Kimberly Carter of Chula Vista,
Calif. and Noralyn Clemons of
Santa Clarita, Calif. He leaves six
grandchildren, Jacob and Kaylee
Carter, and Charles, Joseph, Laila
and John Clemons; and a niece,
Julianne Johnson-Weiss of Port-
land. He was predeceased by his
parents, Martha and Isaac Payne
III, a sister, Margaret Payne
Isaacs and a niece, Benita Lynn
Payne, all were long time resi-
dents of Portland.
Isaac was born to a farming
family in Malakoff, Texas and
when he was five, his family
moved to Oregon for better op-
portunities, first to Vanport, then
Portland after the great flood.
He attended grade school and
high school in Portland and two
years of college at Portland State
University. He was active in
his church, BYPU and the Boy
Scouts (achieving the highest lev-
el, Eagle Scout), and participated
in high school track, cross-coun-
try and wrestling, as well as in-
tercollegiate wrestling and rugby.
Isaac ‘Ice” Payne is pictured (rom left) as a member of the U.S. Air Force and through the years.
Ike entered the Air Force
Academy based on the nomina-
tion by U.S. Rep. Edith Green in
1959. He was one of the first of
three Black Americans to grad-
uate from the USAFA. They
graduated in 1963 and played pi-
oneering roles in the integration
of the Academy. From there he
earned a Bachelor of Science de-
gree in Engineering Science and
Basic Science and later a Mas-
ter of Science degree in Systems
Management.
After his 1963 graduation he
attended Pilot Training in Ari-
zona and began an active career
in the military as an office and
a gentleman which included as-
signments in New York, Califor-
nia, Vietnam, Ohio, Maryland,
New Mexico, Washington, D.C.
and so on. His roles included
service as a B-52 co-pilot in the
668th Bomb Squadron, 4515th
Combat Crew Training Squad-
ron, flying combat missions as a
forward air controller assigned
to the 19th Tactical Air Support
Squadron, aircraft commander in
the 744th Bomb Squadron, test
pilot and flight commander in the
4950th Test Wing.
Next he was assigned to the
Pentagon, US Air Force Head-
quarters as security assistance re-
quirements officer, Special Assis-
tant for International Programs,
Deputy Chief of Staff for Re-
search, Development, and Acqui-
sition, Air Launched Cruise Mis-
sile Combined Test Force chief
of operations, B-52 Integrated
Weapon System Test Force direc-
tor, and 6510th Test Wing Depu-
ty for Strategic Test, Director of
Safety and Flight Operations. His
final active duty assignment was
Chief, Tactical Systems Develop-
ment, National Security Agency
He accumulated over 4,600
hours of flight time in more than
35 different aircraft (including
the B-52, B-57, O-1, F-4, F-16,
C alendar
October 2018
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY
29
30
31
Stock Market Crash -
1929 (1929)
John Adams born,
1735
Emily Post (author)
born, 1873
Halloween
Juliette Gordon Low
Born in 1860; start-
ed Girl Scouting in
the United States
F-104, T-39, and T-33. His mil-
itary decorations included the
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart, 15 Air Medals, 2
Meritorious Service Medals and
2 AF Commendation Medals.
He retired from the Air Force as
a Colonel in 1987 and returned
to Albuquerque, N.M. There he
worked as a Senior Engineer for
Advanced Sciences, Inc. until
1992. Afterward he began an
active retirement period with in-
cluded traveling to his favorite
city, Paris (in France) as well as
Puerto Rice, the Bahamas, Can-
ada, Mexico, and many cities in
the US to enjoy the dining, the
sites and the jazz.
He was a member of the Air
Force Academy Association of
Graduates, Order of Daedalians
and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity,
Inc.
Ike loved life and sharing it
with friends. He had a passion
for helping others and was active
in local charities such as Meals
on Wheels and the Senior Citi-
zens Center. He was a member
of the First Unitarian Church of
Albuquerque. His hobbies were
listening to jazz and attending
jazz festivals, researching family
ancestry, traveling, reading and
studying history.
He was loved and admired
by his many friends, his fellow
AFA graduates, military buddies
and his family. He will be sorely
missed by all of them.
A service will be held on Nov.
7, 2018 at 11 a.m. at the USAF
Academy Cadet Protestant Chap-
el in Colorado Springs, Colo.,
with inurnment following at the
USAF cemetery and then a re-
ception will be held at the AOG
building, Doolittle Hall. His
family has suggested that if de-
sired, memorial donations be
made to the Meals on Wheels of
Albuquerque; PO Box 92614; Al-
buquerque, NM 87199; 505-823-
8060 www.mow-nm.org.
A memorial will also be held in
Albuquerque, N.M., in early De-
cember 2018. Condolences may
be sent to his family in care of his
daughters; Mrs. Kimberly Car-
ter; 769 Adobe Pl; Chula Vista,
CA 91914-2408 or Mrs. Noralyn
Clemons; 24413 Leonard Tree
Lane, Unit 204; Santa Clarita,
CA 91321. Condolences may be
left online at www.danielsfuner-
al.com.
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY