Professor Lieutenant Colonel WILLYS D, (Bill) WUEST, President of the English Speaking Union, Norwich and Norfolk, UK died peacefully at home on October 30th at age 82 years. Bill was husband of Mary, father of Martin and Vanessa and grandad of Oliver, Natasha and Michael. Funeral service will be held at St. Andrew's Church, Hingham on Friday, November 12th at 2.30 p.m. Family flowers only please, but donations if desired, for Wymondham Rapid Response or The Windmill Surgery, Wymondham, may be left at the service or sent c/o Breckland Funeral Services, 25 Norwich Road, Watton, IP25 6DA.
Bill Wuest was born on 10 October 1928 at Evanston, Cook County Illinois, USA. He was known as a great supporter of close links between the United States and his adopted country. He was a former governor of the 2nd Air Division Memorial Trust, which safeguards the American Library at the Forum in Norwich and was also president of the Norfolk and Norwich English Speaking Union.
Willys J Wuest, always known as Bill, was posted to RAF Sculthorpe, near Fakenham, in 1951 as a meteorologist with the United States Air Force, he retired after 20 years as lieutenant colonel after serving alongside the Japanese Defense Force. For much of his career, he was involved in highly-secret postings, not least at Sculthorpe, then a home of nuclear weapons, and then later spending five years near Las Vegas attached to the USAF’s 1129th SAS at Groom Lake, where the “invisible” A-12 Blackbird plane was developed. Later, he served at Alconbury, near Huntingdon, and also at High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Wuest, did a first degree at the University of Illinois before completing his masters at the University of Chicago. Then he was sent to Army Language School at Monterey, California, where he became fluent in Russian and German.
But it was his expertise in meteorology, which was to earn him rapid promotion in the USAF’s air weather service. While weather and forecasting always remained a prime interest, he went on to specialize in aeronautical topics. He was given a chair by the world’s leading aeronautical university, Embry-Riddle, of Florida and then as part of its Worldwide Campus network lectured service personnel at Air Force bases in England. He used his charm to invite leading aviation figures including former war-time RAF aces Douglas Bader and Johnnie Johnson as guest lecturers.
He married Mary in 1954, and since then they have lived at Old Buckenham for more than a dozen years and more recently at Hingham. He had bought a 1928 Swift – dating from the year of his birth – and was frequently seen driving the vintage car around the district. A member of the Anglian Balloon Club for many years, he also managed three flights on Concorde.
With his ear for language, he also had the knack of writing poetry and often composed an impromptu note of thanks or for a golden weddings. Gifted with a stentorian voice, he was also a popular master of ceremonies at annual thanksgiving reunion dinners for many years. He was also heavily involved with the Friends of the 2nd Air Division, serving on the committee, and in 2006 was invited as guest of honor to the 60th anniversary celebrations of the USAF at Mildenhall.
He leaves a widow, Mary, and son, Martin, who is a microchip engineer living in the USA, and daughter, Vanessa, and three grandchildren. His oldest grandson, Oliver, is studying aeronautical engineering at Imperial College.
Willy Wuest, aka The Bard of Beatty to his contemporaries in the OXCART program, was one of the weather officers at Groom Lake. I think the Bard would want to be remembered by the Roadrunners for his writings an quick wit while at Groom Lake. To some, his articles are humorous - to others they are sad as they depict the closure of a great era in our roadrunner careers. http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/bard.html
Major Willie Wuest holds the honor of having conducted the final weather briefing for Project OXCART as Frank Murray "Dutch 20" prepared to fly A-12 Article 131 on Mission Final Scope Barn from Groom Lake to Palmdale on the final flight ever for the A-12. The briefing was done about 0400 on the morning of 21 June 1968. Most personnel at Area 51 at this time of day were asleep, but as usual there were some working these hours to get things done, like launching the final A-12 mission. The mission was short with routing more or less over unpopulated areas, and to be flown at subsonic speeds to prevent "booming" folks along the way. Major Wuest - The Bard of Beatty wrote another of his fabulous oldies appropriate for this occasion.
In the words of the Bard himself!
"Composed and read at that tragic and historic occasion, the Final Scope Barn, 21 June 1968, in the Fifth Year of the Great Society.
The Last Briefing
With infinite skill and loving care
And a sad and heavy heart,
The weather man in the early Morn
Drew his final weather chart.
He lovingly sketched each isobar
Over land and sea and shore,
As he had done so many times
For the last eight years or more.
He entered weather symbols
Each in its proper place,
As emotion overcame him
And tears streamed down his face.
His voice so choked with sorrow
You could barely hear him say
?This briefing chart is all screwed up,
It CAVU all the way!!!?"
Bon Voyage, Willy on your final flight. It's CAVU (Ceiling and visibility unlimited) all the way.
Submitted by:
Thornton D. (TD) Barnes
President/Webmaster
Roadrunners Internationale
http://roadrunnersinternationale.com/
What did you do today for freedom?
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