Vice Adm. Thomas Connolly; Co-Developed F-14

Vice Adm. Thomas F. Connolly, 86, who helped develop the F-14 fighter jet and inspired its nickname “Tomcat.” A resident of Southern California for many years, Connolly earned a bronze medal in gymnastics for rope climbing in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and attended UCLA before going to the Naval Academy. During World War II, Connolly commanded 40 pilots and 1,200 Navy personnel and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. He later served as a test pilot and directed a training school for astronauts, including John Glenn and Alan B. Shepard. He was commander of the Naval Air Force Pacific Fleet in 1965. During his 38-year career, he also commanded two aircraft carriers and was assistant chief for the Pacific missile range and astronautics, director of the Navy’s strike warfare division and assistant chief of naval operations for fleet operations and readiness, for which he received the Legion of Merit. On May 24 in Holland, Mich., of an aortic aneurysm.