William A. Eagleson Jr., bombardier during WWII; at 87
William A. Eagleson Jr., a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator in 32 missions during World War II, died of Parkinson's disease Oct. 18 at Riverbend Nursing Center in South Natick. He was 87 and was a longtime resident of Natick.
Mr. Eagleson and his fellow crew members aboard the B-24 nicknamed Corky were the subject of a 2004 book titled, "An Emotional Gauntlet, from Life in Peacetime America to the War in European Skies," by British writer Stuart J. Wright. Wright was inspired by war stories Mr. Eagleson told him when the two met by chance in a library in Norwich, England.
"The night before our first mission we were not aware that we were to fly the next day," he told Wright, describing the start of his adventures in the European skies in 1944 that would culminate with the D-Day invasion. In civilian life, he became an executive for Boy Scouts of America and later a health sciences teacher and golf and ski coach at Brockton High School for 25 years.
At his request, his wife Dorothea said, his ashes will be scattered from the last World War II era B-24 that is still flying. That plane is based in Stow at the Collings Foundation, which recovers and restores historic aircraft.
Of the 18,500 B-24s built, only 24 remain, said Bob Collings, founder of the foundation. He said Mr. Eagleson was instrumental in 1984 in persuading the foundation to restore the one in Stow and use it for demonstrations.
Eagleson said her husband would have preferred to be a pilot, but that his vision disqualified him. Still, she said, "Bill was 100 percent patriotic. He always wanted to be in the thick of things."
Mr. Eagleson was born in Watertown, the son of William A. and Eva (Lacey) Eagleson. He graduated from Watertown High School. He was an avid skier and taught skiing at the Commonwealth Country Club in Watertown and in Colorado before entering Boston University, his wife said.
Mr. Eagleson enlisted in July 1943 with the Army's 10th Mountain Division, where he taught survival skills. Then he joined the Army Air Forces and was assigned to the 453d Bombardier Group. The actor Jimmy Stewart was his company commander.
Mr. Eagleson was discharged as a first lieutenant, his wife said, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Back in civilian life, Mr. Eagleson received undergraduate and master's degrees in education from BU. He met Dorothea A. Ulrich on a ski train going north from Boston. They were married in 1950, and he took a teaching post at Brockton High.
Though the Eaglesons had no children, they were always occupied with them, from students to their nieces and nephews.
His wife recalled many ski trips with school groups to Europe. "We must have skied every alp in Europe," she said.
Pamela Cowe of Middleborough, a niece, recalled going with her uncle to Boy Scout survival classes when she was small and that he started the ski school at Temple Mountain in New Hampshire. Mr. Eagleson was also an avid boater.
He remained patriotic to the end and considered a chance meeting at the Norfolk Central Library in England with Stuart Wright, who was then 14, a serendipitous event.
In the introduction to his book, Wright says Mr. Eagleson described how he and his air crew had been based in Norfolk in 1944. The stories of the war stuck with him, and Wright came to Boston in 1997 to interview Mr. Eagleson.
In 2004, Mr. Eagleson recalled for the Globe how within a few months of combat he "became accustomed to seeing bombers shot out of the sky, then returning to base and seeing more empty beds." On bombing runs, he said, he would announce " 'Bombs Away!' never knowing for sure whether the 3 tons of explosives hit their mark. Sometimes when the bombs didn't release properly, I had to kick them out of the bay."
Wright said that when he asked Mr. Eagleson how he would define his crew aboard Corky, he replied "with a mischievous grin on his face and with great affection and humor, 'Loveable Bastards.' "
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Natick at 11 a.m. today Burial will be private.
