05 Sep 2025 Jumping Jack Flash
By Rita Halter Thomas
“Glenn here is a pilot,” Jack said, gesturing toward his son, “and he owns an airplane. I want him to take me up for a spin, come back in and land that airplane.
“Then I’m going to open the door and jump out,” he said, laughing. Jack envisions holding a big umbrella, Mary Poppins-style, and jumping out of the plane while a photographer captures the big event.
His son, Glenn Grimes of Greers Ferry, and Jack’s wife, Elsie, offered a few words of protest at those shenanigans, but they are planning an open-invitation celebration for this milestone. “It’s open to everybody,” Glenn said “We’d love to have anybody who would like to drop by for a visit.”. The event will be 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, in the lobby at StoneBridge Senior Living, 1306 S. Donaghey Ave. in Conway.
A member of the Greatest Generation, a World War II veteran, a business owner, and a family man, Jack has seen a lot in his 100 years, including surviving a sinking ship, founding Capitol Glass Co. in Little Rock in 1950 which is now owned by his grandson, marriage, family, loss, and finding love again.
Sharp as a tack, and with the looks and mobility of a man decades younger, recently, Jack offered a glimpse into his life. Born on Sept. 6, 1925, to Seth “Walter” and Clara Lane Grimes of Enola, Shelby Glenn “Jack” Grimes was the sixth of eight children. “I was [delivered] at home by an old country doctor,” Jack said.
He started “primer school” in 1931 and went to school three times on his first day. Every time the teacher left the classroom, young Jack slipped out and ran home and each time, his mom returned him. After his third trip, Jack recalled that she brought a rope with her and told the teacher to “tie that kid to a chair” because she was tired of walking up and down the gravel road, a mile each way, trying to get him to school. Jack didn’t say if he was tied to the chair, but he stayed. He picked cotton from the time he was 4-5 years old until he moved to California at age 16. There he worked on a ranch for the movie star Fred MacMurray.
In 1942, with war looming, 17-year-old Jack volunteered for the U.S. Navy after getting his parents’ consent. He served on the USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56), an aircraft carrier, and was aboard when it was torpedoed on November 24, 1943. In 23 minutes, the ship sank, and 702 officers and sailors lost their lives. Only 272 were rescued, and some later succumbed to their injuries.
Rescued by the USS Mississippi (BB-41), a battleship, Jack was dropped off at Pearl Harbor. During his time in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, he had the opportunity to be a catcher for a Navy baseball team. Raising a crooked index finger, he offered proof of his baseball experience.
Jack served on two other ships during his seven years in the Navy: the USS Marietta (AN-82) and the USS Missouri (BB-6), which is the ship on which the peace treaty was signed.
Following his military career, Jack met and married Ruby Farmer in 1950 and they were married for 64 years. They had two children, Glenn Grimes and the late Barbara Grimes Goswick. Jack has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
As a businessman, Jack founded Capitol Glass in 1950 with two other men. In time, one passed away and the other retired. In 1972, when Glenn graduated from high school, he began working with his father at the glass shop, now at 801 Broadway Street in Little Rock. After working 40 years, Jack retired and turned the business over to Glenn in 1990. Three years ago, Glenn’s son, Aaron, took over Capitol Glass, making Aaron a third-generation owner and marking 75 years of successful business in the 501.
When Jack lost his wife in October 2014, he never imagined marrying again. But eight years ago, a couple of friends introduced him to Elsie Loman, a widow whose husband of 62 years had passed. “I’d never been on a blind date before,” he said of his initial apprehension. The couple met at a cookout on May 27, 2017. They saw each other every day after and married a few months later, on Sept. 23. Jack was 92. The couple honeymooned for two weeks in Hawaii, and during that visit, they spent a full day touring the USS Missouri. Because of Jack’s service in the Navy aboard the USS Missouri, they were able to tour the entire ship, an honor not normally given.
