WILLIAM B. MCILVAINE III, LTJG, USN
William McIlvaine III '10
Lucky Bag
From the 2010 Lucky Bag:
William McIlvaine
[There is no written entry for William in the Lucky Bag.]
William McIlvaine
[There is no written entry for William in the Lucky Bag.]
Loss
William was lost on March 11, 2013 when the EA-6B Prowler he was aboard crashed in Washington. The two other officers aboard were also killed. They were members of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129.
Other Information
From Whidbey News-Times, March 19, 2013:
Lt. j.g. William B. McIlvaine III was a true Renaissance man being equally at home with art, science and music, but his lifelong dream was to fly. The United States Naval Academy was his first and only choice to achieve his dream. McIlvaine was commissioned from the academy with merit in May 2010, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
In 2006, McIlvaine graduated from Deerfield Academy [Massachusetts]. There he served as a Proctor, a captain of the ski team and co-leader of the Mello-D's, a men's a cappella group. He was introduced to the bagpipes, an instrument that would frustrate and inspire him for the rest of his life. He played at most events at Deerfield including piping his class into their graduation. At graduation McIlvaine received the Music Prize, the Chemistry Prize and His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan, a fellow alumnus, awarded Will Deerfield's inaugural Prize for International Studies.
McIlvaine shared his love of music through his involvement with the Pipes and Drums during all four years at Annapolis, the Protestant Choir during plebe summer and the Men's Glee Club during his plebe year. He led the Pipes and Drums which toured the U.S.
Immediately after graduation from the Academy he was temporarily assigned duty at the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. where he was awarded the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal for excellence in leadership.
Although his eyesight kept him from being a pilot, McIlvaine was thrilled to serve as a naval flight officer, earning his wings at NAS Pensacola in May 2012. From there, he selected EA-6B Prowlers and joined VAQ-129 at NAS Whidbey Island in June 2012.
McIlvaine’s genuine kindness and true humility fostered respect and friendship in all who knew him. A loving son and brother, a faithful friend and a loyal comrade in arms, he is and shall be forever missed by his family and many friends. However, he would never ask us to mourn his death rather to celebrate his life.
He is survived by his parents William and Stephan, his siblings Julia McIlvaine, Elizabeth Hauptfuhrer, Jonathan Hauptfuhrer, his grandparents Mr. and Mrs. William B. McIlvaine of Chicago and Mr. and Mrs. Philip Fanning of Coatesville, PA. He also leaves behind Lt j.g. Kristen Keelor, who will always be part of our lives as she was central to his.
William is buried in the Naval Academy Cemetery; there is also a joint grave for all three crew members lost in Arlington National Cemetery.
Photographs
William with his mother and sister. Photo courtesy Kristen Keelor via email on May 28, 2018.
Remembrances
From the Naval Academy Alumni Association's "In Memoriam" page:
Wills loved music. He thought of it as universal language. He was fond of saying that as long as he had music he could speak to anyone in the world. William McIlvaine II
Related Articles
Alan Patterson '00 and Valerie Cappelaere Delaney '09 were also killed in this crash.
William is one of 2 members of the Class of 2010 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
