A memorial service for Mr. James C. Vinson will be held on Sunday, December 27, 2009 at 3pm at the chapel of George Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 211 Park Ave. SW Aiken with Revs. Michael Dyar and Martha Ebel officiating. Honorary pallbearers will be: Edward Blanton, Jim Spearman, Harry Evans, Carl Edwards, Pete Whatley & Wade Jones. Interment will take place on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 11:30am at Beaufort National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be directed to the Cumbee Center, Regency Hospice or ACTS Area Churches Together Serving. Mr. Vinson, 76, of Aiken, died Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. A son of the late Ellerbee Vinson and Bessie Patterson Vinson, he was born in Walhalla, SC and had lived in Aiken since 1976. He attended Walhalla High School, but graduated from Westminster HS. He volunteered and served in the Army during the Korean Conflict. He attended William and Mary College and then graduated from the University of SC with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1958 and a jurisdoctorate in 1960. He also attended the Medical College of Georgia for three years. He practiced law in Greer, SC from 1960-1961 and then served as house counsel for All State Insurance Company in the Atlanta area until the mid-1960s. He then became a federal attorney with the U S Army Missile Command, Huntsville, AL. In 1976, he became a federal attorney at the Savannah River Site, retiring in the early 1980s. He practiced law in Aiken from 1976 until December 2009. He also served as a SC judge for six years and was a licensed, SC general contractor. Admitted to the SC Bar in 1960; he was a member of the Aiken County Bar Association, the Federal Bar and was admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court in 1976. He was a former member of the Trial Lawyers Association. A private pilot, he was a member of AOPA and served as their legal counsel. In the early 1980's, he with others, were instrumental in resurrecting the defunct Civil Air Patrol in Aiken where he served as Squadron Commander until he left to be the legal counsel for the State CAP. He served on the board of The Cumbee Center and as a patron of the arts; was a founder and legal counselor for the Aiken Choral Society. He was ecumenical, being a former member and elder of Westminster Presbyterian Church and was currently a member of The First Presbyterian Church of Aiken. He was also an associate member of South Aiken Baptist Church and often attended The Presbyterian Church of Lady's Island, Beaufort County, SC. He also had a special place in his heart for the Historic Methodist Church in Webster, NC, which he visited whenever in that area. He had a zest for living and did so fully until illness came. He loved God, his family, his Country, cars, trains and planes. Most of all, he loved "His People", clients & friends. He was a world traveler with his bags always packed. He lived a wonderful life that continues in eternity. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two brothers, Jack Vinson and Rev. Ferd Vinson and his step-dad, William Clayton Smith. He is survived by his wife, Rev. Martha Vinson, Aiken, two sons; Edward McDonald Vinson, Gilbert, SC and James C. Vinson, Jr., Gilbert, SC and a daughter; Kimberly Claire Vinson-Salter, Macon, GA and a sister; Mildred Vinson Ridley, Birmingham, AL. He is also survived by four granddaughters and one great-grandson.