Battleship commissioner passes away

Former Alabama state Sen. John Malcolm Tyson, 91, a longtime resident of Mobile, and an emeritus member – and among the founders - of the USS Alabama Battleship Commission, passed away Nov. 7. Tyson, a graduate of the University of Alabama, served in the Navy as a combat pilot during WWII and the Korean War. He remained in the Naval Reserve as a pilot and Judge Advocate General for over 40 years, retiring at the rank of commander. He was a member of the Reserve Officers Association and the 2001 Veteran of the Year. As an Alabama state senator, Tyson sponsored the legislation and was one of the founders of the University of South Alabama, and served as Member of the Board of Trustees for over 10 years. He fought for the Veteran's Cemetery at Mobile, and a VA Level One hospital for the Gulf Coast. Today, there is a VA hospital at Biloxi, Miss. (Source: AL.com 11/98/16) Gulf Coast Note: He is the father of former Mobile District Attorney John Tyson Jr., and grandfather of actor Richard Tyson.