Bill Haynes was born in Paris France and grew up in Oklahoma City from the age of 9. After WWII, he lived in California and all over.
Bill says “It was a Helluva Ride, and I find it hard to believe myself. I don’t think anyone ever spent more time getting educated in more ways by the US Gov than I did.”
William Everett Haynes, Sr., LtCol USAF, Ret., “Headed West” on August 15, 2010.
William “Bill” Everett Haynes, 86, decorated Vietnam fighter pilot, of Rancho Palos Verdes, died Sunday, August 15, 2010, while driving his little red sports car to church.
His loss is deeply felt.Bill was born in Paris, France, on January 18, 1924, to Everett Campbell Haynes, a noted jockey in Europe between the World Wars, and Edna Heise Haynes. The Haynes family, including his younger brother, John Barrett Haynes, returned to Oklahoma in 1933, and moved to Los Angeles in 1942.
Bill relentlessly pursued his goal to be a fighter pilot and his dream of space travel. In 1943, he volunteered for the US Army Air Corps, where he served until the end of World War II. He obtained his undergraduate engineering degree at UCLA in 1949, and immediately joined the US Air Force.
His Air Force career took him and his family to Arizona, Germany, Ohio, Oklahoma, Southern California, Florida, and Virginia.
Prior to his service in the Vietnam War, Bill continually educated himself on the principles of flight and aircraft design and maintenance. He graduated from the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, in 1954, and from the USAF Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, in 1956. In 1965, he earned his Master of Arts from USC in research and development systems management.
Bill worked in the Minuteman missile program in Cocoa Beach, Florida, starting in 1965.
From 1967 to 1968, Bill bravely served as the commander of the 90th Tactical Fighter Squadron (nicknamed the “Dice”) at Bien Hoa AFB, Republic of South Vietnam. Bill flew 187 combat missions over the Ho Chi Minh trail. He was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. For the rest of his life, Bill enjoyed keeping up with his fighter pilot buddies via email and reunions.
He capped his Air Force career with a year in the Pentagon. He retired as a Lt. Colonel.
Following his retirement, Bill worked from 1969 to 1991 with various defense contractors, including Martin Marrietta, Doral Systems and SAIC, in Colorado, Germany and Southern California.
Bill moved to Rancho Palos Verdes in 1977, where he lived with his beloved wife, Christine Apelles Haynes, until his death.
Bill is survived by his wife, Christine, his daughters Susan Ellen Roberts, of Dallas, Texas, and Kirsten Michele Howland, of Palos Verdes Estates, his sons John Barrett Haynes, of Los Angeles, and Richard Craig Haynes, of Pilot Point, Texas, and his grandchildren, Emma Kent Roberts and Caden Everett Robertson Howland. His parents and his brother, a Korean War veteran, predeceased him.
In retirement, Bill enjoyed anything involving flight. From 1998 to 2004, he worked with a team building a replica of the original airplane flown by the Wright Brothers. After that, he flew his own hand-built Ultra light airplane. His most recent flight was last Friday.
Bill continued to be actively engaged intellectually until the end. He held US Patent no. 4,828,207, for “fluid lock” technology. He wrote and published articles on various scientific issues, including the presence of “Square Craters on the Moon.”
He deeply loved his grandchildren, his pet parakeets and holding forth on the great issues of the day.
Bill was a loyal member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Rancho Palos Verdes, for over 30 years.
A memorial service for Bill will be held on August 18, 2010, 4 PM, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 31290 Palos Verdes Drive West, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275. Bill will be buried with his father and brother at Arlington National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Bill’s honor to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the South Bay, at www.southbayclubs.org.
Published by Los Angeles Times on Aug. 19, 2010.
