James Dane Starling was born in 1936 in the small town of Goose Creek, deep in the heart of Texas. He had eight happy years with his parents, when, quite suddenly, his mother died. Dane and his younger brother were brought up by their grandmother in Bastrop, TX. Throughout the rest of his life, Dane never lost sight of his sad and humble beginnings. 

After high school, Dane worked and attended the University of Texas part-time for two years and was a member of the Texas National Guard until he received an appointment to West Point. When he arrived in the summer of 1956 he was mentally and physically prepared for the challenges of Beast Barracks and quickly adjusted to the rigors and discipline of the Academy. Dane demonstrated from the very outset an even temper and exceptional capability to excel under pressure. In addition, he was always more than willing to provide a helping hand to struggling classmates. On assignment to his new company in the fall, he quickly made friends and demonstrated that he was a born leader. He participated in numerous cadet activities—including plebe year football, gymnastics, and several clubs—and served as president of the Dialectic Society. He helped manage the 100th Night Show and was assisted in that effort by Mary Kress, the daughter of John Kress of the PE Department. Their relationship developed into something special, and they were married in the Cadet Chapel two days after graduation. Their relationship remained special for a lifetime. 

After graduation, Dane attended Airborne and Ranger schools and the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course. During this time their son James was born. The family then proceeded to his first duty assignment with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. Their daughter, Leigh Anne, was born in 1963. At that point, Dane made a career-altering decision by transferring from Field Artillery to the Transportation Corps and left for a 13-month unaccompanied tour to South Korea. Mary and the kids went back to West Point to be with her parents, where their third child, Jeff, was born in 1964. After South Korea, the family returned to Fort Bragg, where Dane became the 82nd Airborne Division transportation officer and spent seven months on assignment to the Dominican Republic. In 1966, Dane attended the Transportation Officer Advanced Course. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1967, and their fourth child, Grant, was born with Mary and the kids living in Highland Falls, NY. 

Vietnam was followed by two years of graduate school for a MBA at Michigan State University, followed by 18 months at Fort Sheridan, IL, a second tour to Vietnam, CGSC, and a two-year tour with the Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, VA. In 1976, Dane assumed command of the 7th Transportation Battalion at Fort Bragg for two years and remained there for another year with XVIII Airborne Corps. He was then selected for ICAF in Washington, DC, followed by a year in the Pentagon with ODCSO. In 1981, he received orders for the 4th Transportation Command in Germany. Nine months into that tour he was selected to command the 507th Transportation Group at Fort Bragg. He subsequently deployed to Grenada and then returned to Fort Bragg to command the XVIII Airborne Corps Support Command. He came out on the brigadier general list in 1986 and took over the Eastern Area Military Traffic Management Command in Bayonne, NJ. He then came out on the major general list and moved to CENTCOM as the Director of Logistics at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, FL. He served one year traveling back and forth to the Persian Gulf and then spent nine months in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. After the war, he was promoted to lieutenant general and became the Deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, IL.

In 1993, August Busch offered Dane a job with Anheuser Busch as Vice President for Government Affairs, which he accepted and assumed responsibility for 12 western states. He and Mary moved to Sacramento, CA in conjunction with that job and enjoyed their lives there. Two of Dane and Mary’s children already lived in California, and the other two followed their parents shortly thereafter. Dane retired from Anheuser Bush in 2004. Unfortunately, Dane died on May 3, 2009 from shingles-related encephalitis.

The following comments were made at his funeral: 

Dane saw his life unfold before him with a genuine sense of wonder, true joy and appreciation.

Dane always embraced a challenge, approaching each new day with an uncommon energy. He was fond of saying, “I’m not the smartest person in the room,” and quickly gave most of the credit for his latest achievement to everybody who helped him “along the way.” He loved people and labor and maintained his sense of humor in times of stress. He laughed easily and often.

Dane was a very good man and the kind of father he had never known. He was devoted to his family, always present in their lives, whether in the next room or thousands of miles away. 

No country ever had a better soldier. 

No man or woman ever had a better friend. 

No children ever had a better father, nor grandchildren a better grandfather. 

And, from the time they were married in 1960, no woman was ever blessed with a better husband. 

Dane’s ashes will go home with his family, but Dane’s spirit will live in his family’s hearts forever.

— Company classmates and family