Dr. James H. Chappel was born in Boston and grew up in a working class neighborhood in Malden, eight miles outside of Boston. His father worked for the Hearst newspapers and his mother was a secretary. He was one of the first kids in his neighborhood to go to college. He attended Northeastern University for a year and then joined the Air Force. He qualified for the Aviation Cadet Program and was commissioned as a navigator. He went through advanced training in electronic warfare. He spent three years flying and then taught the electronic warfare officers' course at Keesler Air Force Base in Florida for three years. After leaving the Air Force, he enrolled at Florida State University and earned a bachelors in German and English with a minor in Russian and French. He later earned a masters in German and Linguistics. Dr. Chappel had a job offer at the National Security Agency (NSA), but after attending a job fair and meeting Dean John Anderson, decided to come to Columbus College. He took a leave of absence from 1971 to 1973 to work on a doctorate in linguistics at the University of Georgia. Dr. Chappel was given a distinguished professor award in 1969 and the faculty service award twice.
From the description of Oral history interview with James H. Chappel, 2007 Feb. 27 / conducted by Jennifer Thomas. (Columbus State University). WorldCat record id: 311053782
