William H. SilcoxManager

LT. COL. WILLIAM SILCOX AFRC, Retired William "Bill" Henry Silcox, of Washoe County, passed away Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Reno. He was born July 21, 1922, in Taft, Calif., and was a proud graduate of Taft schools. In 2011, he was inducted into the school district's Hall of Fame, an honor he accepted with huge enthusiasm and characteristic modesty. From Taft's oil fields, he rose through an exceptional career in engineering at Standard Oil, now Chevron. Bill enrolled in the University of California, Berkeley, in 1940. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942, and from 1943-45, he trained as a pilot and served in the 386th Bombardment Group, stationed in France and Belgium. He graduated from Cal in 1947, in mechanical engineering. From 1947-50, he worked as a drilling roughneck and oilfield engineer for Standard Oil. Bill was recalled to active duty in the Korean War, he served as radar officer and pilot on Cho-Do Island, off the North Korean Coast. Between the wars, Bill and Eleanor met at Lake Tahoe. Eleanor, a nurse, also served in World War II. They married in 1952, and raised their children in southern California and Las Vegas. Starting in 1954, Bill led development of Chevron's offshore technology. His final positions were manager and assistant general manager of Chevron's world-wide offshore drilling and technology development, planning and operations. He retired in 1985. Bill was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, received the Offshore Technology Conference Distinguished Service Award for Individuals and was named to the Ocean Star Industry Pioneers Hall of Fame. After 30 years of service, he retired from the Air Force Reserve Command as Lt. Colonel. We will remember him for his smarts, humor, open door, and "squaring a hypotenuse". Just grand. Mizpah. Bill is survived by his brothers, John (Colleen) and Hugh (Aletha); children, Don (Rosalie Garcia), Janice Ackerman (John), Frances Silcox (David Smith) and Jim (Diana); 14 grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins, all cherished. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, at Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas. He will be buried with his wife, Eleanor Saulpaugh, and son, John, in Las Vegas.