t
17178 WILLIAM STEVEN
VARGOVICK
13 December 1926 - 30 June 1985
Died 30 June 1985 at Fort Myer, Virginia, aged 58 years.
Interment: West Point Cemetery, West Point, New York
BILL VARGOVICK
was born
in Jersey City, New Jersey on 13 December 1926. His home, however, was
in Bayonne, and it was here that he spent the better part of his
younger days. With the prospects of war imminent, his father was
transferred to Buffalo, New York to take charge of building PT boat
engines at a Navy operated facility, and Bill spent his high school
years in western New York State.
Having enlisted in 1944 after high school graduation, he served the
first part of his Army career as a private. This portion was short
lived, however, when Bill received a Congressional appointment to the
Academy and entered in June of 1945. Once the mysteries of the Russian
language had faded into yearling year memories, academics presented
little difficulty. Bill was active in non-academics, being an acolyte
and a member of the Radio, Sailing and Ski Clubs. He rose to a cadet
rank of sergeant
Upon graduation, Bill was first assigned to the Artillery School at
Fort Bliss, Texas. A few months after the North Koreans had crossed
the 38th Parallel, Bill was ordered to Korea and landed at Inchon in
September of 1950. He was a forward observer and later a battery
executive officer with the 57th Field Artillery Battalion of the 7th
Division, with temporary duty ranging from the Yalu River to the Chosan
Reservoir.
Bill returned from Korea and received his Master's Degree in Mechanical
Engineering from Purdue in 1955. His subsequent Chemical Corps
assignments took him to Edgewood Arsenal, the US Army Chemical Corps
School at Fort McClellan, Alabama and finally Washington, DC. While
stationed in Washington from 1959 to 1963, Bill was a White House
social aide to two presidents, President Eisenhower and President
Kennedy. In 1963, he was "volunteered" for and accepted a two-year
overseas assignment as assistant military attache at the American
Embassy in Laos.
Upon returning from Laos and before accepting his final duty assignment
with the Army Research Office in Washington, Lieutenant Colonel
Vargovick attended and graduated from the Army Command and General
Staff College in 1965. Bill's work with the Army Research Office
included close liaison with several Army contractor research
organizations covering 24 research studies in the personnel,
operations, intelligence and logistics fields. He coordinated the
actions of the study sponsors (staff agencies and commands) and
contractor organizations, thereby improving the working rapport so
essential to producing a useable result for the Army.
Upon retirement from active service in 1969, Bill started a new
career-one at which he really felt at home. He joined the faculty of
Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale Virginia and taught
courses there in mechanical engineering technology until his death in
June of 1985.
Bill's career spanned three overseas conflicts that involved his
country. He served in World War II, the Korean Conflict, and as
assistant military attache in Laos before the shooting war started in
Southeast Asia.
Bill was an extremely well-rounded, well read, and deeply religious
person, as his post-retirement friends in the Campaign Room at the
Fortt Myer Officers Club will attest. His eulogy, delivered at the Old
Chapel on 3 July 1985 summed it up perfectly: "Bill -was his own
unique individual - the perfect example of the old cliche, “They broke
the mold after Bill came along.’”
Billl will be missed by his brother, Raymond, his sister, Theresa Maher
and particularly his friends in Virginia and Fort Myer.
rjvg
 Personal
Eulogy
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