Captain William E. Scarborough USN (Ret)

Atlantic Beach, FL
Captain William E. Scarborough, USN (Ret) passed away peacefully on February 11, 2013 at the Fleet Landing Health Center in Atlantic Beach, FL. He was 96.
Captain Scarborough enlisted in the United States Navy upon graduating from Columbia (SC) High School in 1935. He attended Flight Class at Pensacola as a Third Class Petty Officer and received his wings in 1939. He flew PBY Catalinas in the North Atlantic, during which time his squadron took part in the search for the German Battleship Bismarck. Immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Scarborough's squadron was sent to the Pacific theatre, where they took part in the Battles of the Coral Sea, Guadalcanal and Midway. He later served as Operations Officer of VB-144 in the island-hopping campaign of the Central Pacific. In the 1950's, he was honored to be one of the few aviators selected to be a member of VC-5, the first Navy nuclear attack squadron. Scarborough, who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, was the first Enlisted Pilot (NAP) to attain the rank of Captain.
Scarborough retired from the Navy in 1964, but continued his service in the aviation industry as a flight safety engineer for Grumman Aerospace, most notably as a consulting pilot to the NASA astronauts in the Lunar Module program. He was a respected naval aviation historian and author, particularly well-known for his "In-Action" and "Walk-Around" books for Squadron Signal, as well as a willing consultant to many other authors. He was a member of the Golden Eagles and the Silver Eagles, two groups which honor the pioneering Naval Aviators who led in the development of this unique military aviation force.
Bill is survived by his loving wife of 71 years, Sarah K. Scarborough; sons William E. Scarborough, Jr. and Michael Scarborough; daughter Kathryn Scarborough Noyes; 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at Quinn-Shalz Family Funeral Home on Wednesday, February 13th from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. A graveside service will take place in Elmwood Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina on Friday, February 15th at 11:00 a.m. Full military honors will be rendered for Captain Scarborough's faithful service to his country.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Bill's name to The Alzheimer's Foundation, 322 Eighth Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001 or Fleet Landing Health Center Renovation Fund, 1 Fleet Landing Boulevard, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233.
Please visit our online Tribute at www.quinn-shalz.com. Arrangements by Quinn-Shalz Family Funeral Home, Jacksonville Beach, FL.