Born in Stamps, Arkansas; married with three children. Receved BS in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1959. Selected November 12, 1965 USAF MOL Group 1; departed on June 10, 1969 with the cancellation of the MOL-Program. He served as an instructor pilot at the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base. He was killed in the crash of his T-38 trainer near Palmdale, California, just over a year after the MOL cancellation.

• MOL 3 - - 1972 Early - Assignment: Proposed Prime Crew.

  At the time of the cancellation of the MOL program in June 1969, the first manned mission was planned for early 1972. A crew of two would have spent thirty days in orbit operating sophisticated military reconnaisance equipment and other experiments. Walt Williams told Michael Cassutt that Jim Taylor would have commanded the first MOL flight, and given Williams's background in flight test operations, Mercury. and Gemini, that call was pretty much his at that time. As for the pilot, Al Crews, a holdover from the Dynasoar program, is considered by Cassutt as good a guess as any.