Page 44 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine
P. 44
Bill McMillian
The Adventures of a
Local Dynamo
by Brian Felty
Saturday morning, Penney building demolition,
I was greeted by the immediately after graduating
same big genuine high school. By this time, with
smile, firm handshake WWII still raging, he had become
and friendly, even eligible to serve in the military,
exuberant greeting so at age 17, he joined the Navy.
I have experienced Basic training was in San Diego,
many times before. then deployment to Pearl Harbor
This man loves life, and assignment to the island
loves people, and of Guam. “I was a typist,” Bill
takes great joy in said grinning at the irony of
experiences and such genteel work in wartime.
adventures with his But given the kind of mischief
friends and family. – let’s call it adventure – this
He was beaming young man had been involved
with pride as he in his entire life (a trend that
announced to me that continues today), there was
his granddaughter surely a story from his time in
in New Orleans is Guam. It turns out “the typist”
10 weeks pregnant once fell headlong into a crate
with his next great- of live Japanese grenades while
grandchild. exploring a cave by matchlight.
He also was lanced by a Tiger
Bill was born in fish, requiring medical attention
Lubbock in 1927, the
can’t tell you how much fun it and a confession to the base
is to sit at the breakfast table son of a man who started an doctor that he and his cousin,
I with two men I’ve known impressive career building and Frank, with whom he was
most of my life, who were in high developing and bringing new reunited on the ship to Guam,
school and college with my dad, things to the city of Lubbock, had been exploring areas
Bill Felty, and hear stories of their moving here the year before his restricted due to the presence of
youth, college days, military, son’s birth. In addition to many enemy forces still on the island.
families, careers. The men are commercial building projects,
Bill McMillan – the subject of this Bill, Sr. built Meadowbrook After the war, Bill returned
article – and his longtime friend Golf Course in 1929. I think it is to Lubbock, attending Texas
Tim Hatch. Their contributions evidence of Bill’s humility that Tech, working for his father as
to this community and to their when I ask him about his own a common laborer and for Tech
church, Lubbock’s First United accomplishments, his initial as mailman, which added $15/
Methodist, are far too many reaction is to speak of things his month to his income. One day in
to even mention in the space father did. But when pressed 1949, delivering mail, “I saw this
available, so my goal for the next for details, he offers quite a beautiful girl working for Dean
few paragraphs is to give you a compelling story. OB Adams. I said, ‘I’d like to
glimpse into the life of William Bill started work for his dad as have a date with you.’ She said,
Garrett McMillan, Jr., not just second water boy, age 9, for the ‘OK, you can go to church with
looking at his accomplishments, men pouring concrete runways me Sunday night.’” Bill made a
but experiencing the man he at what became Reese Air Force poor first impression, falling fast
continues to be, having passed Base. He had such glamourous asleep during the service. “I sure
his 90th birthday with little sign jobs as cleaning bricks at the JC was lucky Laura allowed me a
of slowing down. On a recent second date.” They were married
44 Lubbock Senior Link
