Link to: July 2010 Membership Meeting Recent Events San Antonio Chapter Home Page
(1931-1998)
William
L. Thornton III dedicated his life to serving God, his country, and his
community. Born October 9, 1931,
Bill served his country for 24 years in the United States Air Force. He held Transportation Staff Officer positions at all levels
of responsibility, including combat duty in Vietnam. Culminating his Air Force career as Commander, Joint Personal
Property Shipping Office, San Antonio, Texas, Bill retired from active duty in
1978 with the rank of Colonel. His
many citations and medals included the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and
Meritorious Service Medal.
Blessed
with great talents, Bill generously shared them with others.
By serving his fellows, he truly served God and his country.
His greatest achievement is the number of leaders that he personally
developed. He saw his role as teacher, and he lived his entire life
dedicated to helping young people to learn and to grow.
By his own example, he proved that education is a lifetime adventure that
is never truly finished. During his
lifetime, he earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and continued with
post-graduate studies. At the time
of his death, he was academic advisor and faculty member of Webster University.
He was also a leading member of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church.
As an
Air Force officer, throughout his retired military life, until the day of his
death, he was an active member of the National Defense Transportation
Association, serving on the Board of Directors for the San Antonio Chapter, as
well as Southwestern Regional President for the states of New Mexico, Oklahoma,
and Texas. He was instrumental in
beginning the San Antonio Chapter’s Scholarship Program, and he provided much
of the energy and leadership needed to enable the chapter to award over $30,000
in scholarships from 1985 to 1998. He
was also a founding trustee of the chapter’s Scholarship Trust Fund; under
Bill’s stewardship, this trust grew to over $13,000, while scholarship awards
grew simultaneously. Ultimately,
this trust will provide a perpetual endowment for the NDTA Scholarship Program,
one of the many legacies to the wisdom, service, and generous spirit of Bill
Thornton.
The Bill
Thornton Memorial NDTA Scholarship is dedicated to recognizing excellence in
academic achievement and demonstrated desire to serve mankind.
Recipients of this scholarship are entrusted with the legacy of Bill
Thornton’s lifework in serving God and country to the very best of their
abilities.
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