William A. Shagner III

William (Bill) Shagner was born in Jersey City, NJ on 7/1/1940 to Helen and William Shagner. The family lived in Teaneck, NJ. William attended elementary schools in Teaneck, except for two years when the family moved to Salena, Kansas prior to returning to Teaneck. Bill attended Teaneck High School and graduated in 1958. He was described in his Yearbook as having red hair and being friendly. He was an accomplished swimmer and a “man about town”. Bill was a member of the High School Wrestling Team, Math Club and Varsity Club. He was an outstanding student.

After graduation, Bill received a commission and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the Air Force Academy in Colorado in 1963. He was assigned to Hurlburt Field, Florida for flight duty in a Technical Air Command support unit and he was awarded silver pilot wings after graduating from flight training school in Laredo, Texas in the fall of 1963.

Lieutenant Shagner served in the 317th Air Combat Squadron in the US Air Force. He was killed on 11/9/64 when the A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft that he was flying in crashed during a low level gunnery training mission at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida. The plane crashed in a field on the base gunnery range. Lieutenant Shagner was on board as a student flier.

Lieutenant Shagner was survived by his wife, Lucinda, his infant daughter, Kimberly who was born right around the time that Lieutenant Shagner was killed, and by his sister, Sigrid.

This brave Air Force Officer was buried, with full military honors, in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

High School Yearbook

1. 1958 Year book, p. 61

Ancestry.com

1. Florida Death Index, 1877-1998
2. U.S. Veteraln Gravesites, ca.1775-2006

Newspaper articles & Obituaries

1. Military Burial at Arlington For Lieutenant W. A. Shagner - The Record, Monday, November 16, 1964, p. 44
2. Lt. W. A. Shagner, III - Sun Times, Wednesday, November 18, 1964
3. D. C. Pilot, Student Killed in Florida Training Crash - Evening Star (washington, D. C.), Tuesday, November 10, 1964, p. 45
4. Teaneck Flier Dies in Crash, Leaves Parents, Wife, Child - Jersey Journal (Jersey City, NJ), Tuesday, November 10, 1964, p. 1

Find A Grave Website

1. William A. Shagner, III
2. William Shagner, II (parents)