William Weeks Davenport ’48

Bill Davenport died Aug. 2, 2007, from complications of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Reston, Va.

He was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and graduated from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. At Princeton he was in Elm, Whig-Clio, and the Radio Amateur Club, as well as developing a love of flying. He graduated from SPIA after serving in the Navy, where he rose to lieutenant commander.

Bill joined American Airlines as a pilot in the early 1950s and retired in 1984. He received the Captain's Chair award and other commendations. For his efforts in emergency situations, he received a commendation from the Federal Aviation Administration in 1964 and from the Coast Guard in 1984.

After retiring from American Airlines, he flew planes for recreation and became a line inspector for the FAA.

Bill was a ham radio operator and a member of the Grey Eagles, an organization of retired American Airline pilots. He was a part-time actor and a Shriner who rode palominos and wore a fez in parades. He never failed to make people laugh, his family said.

Survivors include his wife, Jeannie , and three children, William Davenport, Carroll McCarthy, and Ginny Davenport Tsenebis.