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wanted to help with the war effort when the United States entered World War 1. As a result he became Chief Pilot for the Gallaudet Aircraft Company in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. This firm was in the process of designing and building new type planes for the war effort and also operating a flying school. McGee flew actively for Gallaudet through 1917 and into 1918 on test and demonstration flying, and assisted generally with development work.

On June 11, 1918, he lost his life while flying a new type Gallaudet plane [[strikethrough]] when he  [[/strikethrough]] which crashed into the waters of Narragansett Bay. The wreckage did not come to the surface and his body could not be recovered until a marine derrick was brought to the scene. It is not known whether he was killed in the crash or was drowned.

One of the true New England Flying Pioneers, Jack McGee gave his life in the service of World War I. While in number of hours he did not do as much flying as many of the other early pilots, nevertheless he is deserving of credit for his faith and efforts to the cause of early aviation.

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