Brigadier General (Ret.) William W. Spruance, (1916-2011) formerly of Centerville, is recognized as the "Father of the Delaware Air National Guard." He was commissioned in 1939 from Princeton ROTC and joined General Patton's armored division in Georgia where, flying light aircraft, he helped pioneer the "forward air control" concept to improve the accuracy of artillery fire. In 1942 he transferred to the Air Corps where he led a transport squadron in the China-Burma-India theater.
He flew 362 missions, many of them over the legendary Himalayan "Hump." In 1946 he was instrumental in founding the Delaware Air National Guard and later served as chairman of the Delaware Aeronautics Commission.
In 1961 he was severely injured as a passenger in a T-33 crash. Sharing his own experience and extensive research into automobile and aviation safety, he has delivered more than 1,500 presentations and numerous videos on safety and crash survival to over 150,000 people, many of whom credit him with saving their lives.
General Spruance was awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal; his many other decorations include two Distinguished Flying Crosses, four Air Medals, and three Delaware Conspicuous Service Crosses. The Air National Guard named its annual safety award in his honor. The Air National Guardsmen in Delaware named the approach to their facilities "Spruance Drive." Last April, the Air National Guard Training & Education Center at Knoxville dedicated its news media center "Spruance Hall." On October 5, he was inducted into the Commemorative Aviation Hall of Fame.
General Spruance was chairman emeritus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he was chairman for 17 years. He was a director emeritus of the Air Force Association.
