William Cecil '43
Date of birth: August 29, 1921
Date of death: January 5, 1949
Age: 27
Lucky Bag
From the 1943 Lucky Bag:
WILLIAM RUSSELL CECIL
Kansas City, Missouri
After beginning his academic career rather unconventionally in a Kansas City school for young ladies, Bill decided to enter the academy in an attempt to live down his shameful past. Restless by nature, he polished brass in the Boat Club, blew fuses with the Juice Gang, debated with the Quarterdeck Society, and kicked shins playing battalion soccer endeavoring to escape the radiator squad. Definitely not a red mike, his troubles with the unfair sex were a constant source of amusement to his friends. The same humorous pessimism that helped him to solve these little difficulties should be invaluable to Bill in his later life.
The Class of 1943 was graduated in June 1942 due to World War II. The entirety of 2nd class (junior) year was removed from the curriculum.
Loss
From Wikipedia:
As five U.S. Navy Grumman F8F Bearcats make firing runs on a gunnery target sleeve towed by another aircraft, two fighters collide at 7,000 feet and plunge into the Pacific Ocean off San Francisco. Both pilots, Ens. Peter J. McHugh, of Alameda, and Lt. William R. Cecil, of Oakland, are feared lost.
Class of 1943
William is one of 81 members of the Class of 1943 in Memorial Hall.
