William Nourse Bicher Sr.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Military: LT COL US AIR FORCE; VIETNAM.

2. He was educated at West Point Military Academy from 1954 to 1958 in West Point, Orange, NY.

3. Letter: Letter about William Nourse Bicher from West Point classmate Toby Kevin, 2 Jul 2001, West Point, Orange, NY. ² I first met Bill Plebe year when we were assigned to be roommates along with Mac Williams in one of the divisions in Old North Barracks. It took a while, but we figured out fairly soon that we had a lot of things in common (Army Brats, Non-conformists, Intellectuals, Party Animals). Poor Mac. He was well-organized, athletic, ascetic and many other admirable things. Bill and I were marching to the beat of a different drummer. Bicher was always fun to be with. He could muster academic energy if needed, but, on the other hand, between us, we probably set a joint record for brown boy / red boy use. Bill really liked the ladies and they liked him. He often had more than one on his string at the same time and never worried about finding a date.

Throughout the four year endurance event, Bill and I roomed together on and off about half of the time and built a relationship that lasted through the years

His family welcomed me into their personal lives in a way that was especially important to me: His dad (Career Army Colonel) had been wounded in WW II and had died in the DC area before we entered WP. My family were still involved in the post-WW II US Army lifestyle, meaning that while we were cadets, my folks were overseas. Bill and his mother adopted me into their family circle in DC for holidays, weekends, etc. I was always welcome to use the guest bedroom, whether Bill was home that weekend or not. I had a surrogate home and a surrogate mom who took wonderful care of me. This was an immensely important source of support for an immature and slightly lonely cadet.

After graduation, Bicher set off in his new Thunderbird convertible, determined to fill all the gaps in his experience as a top-notch bachelor. This lasted only a few months until the right girl found him. They were married during the first part of USAF pilot training.

There was a gap in communication for a few years and then our paths crossed again at Grad School in Dayton, Ohio in the mid-sixties. Our wives and families got acquainted, although both Bill and I had adopted much more dedicated study habits, and hence shared precious little time.

Bill, you were/are a true friend. I hope you are at peace, along with your family.

TK, Co. E-2.

William married Dorothy Louise Pumphrey on 20 Dec 1958 in , Jackson County, FL.