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Fannin County Witness to History: William 'Bill' Freeman
By Margo McCutcheon, Educator, Sam Rayburn House SHS
May 25, 2026
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Fannin County Witnesses to History

A Joint Project of the Sam Rayburn House Historic Site and the Fannin County Historical Commission

Celebrating America 250 with Spotlights of Fannin County Citizens Who Participated In or Witnessed Historical Events

Fannin County, Texas -- Lt. Col. William “Bill” B. Freeman was born on December 5, 1917, to Bess Vincent Smith and James A. Freeman in Fannin County, TX. He had two siblings. Bill graduated from Bonham High School then attended East Texas State University (now East Texas A&M University) and Texas A&M University. He joined the Marine Corps and entered flight school in Corpus Christi, TX, graduating on December 5, 1941, two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Once the U.S. entered WWII, Bill was stationed in the Pacific Theatre flying a Grumman-Wildcat airplane. He helped achieve six aerial combat victories in Guadalcanal, received the Distinguished Flying Cross, and became an ace fighter pilot (meaning he had five confirmed aerial combat kills).

He received a Bronze Star for helping aviator Charles Lindbergh, famous for being the first person to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean solo, modify the design of the Vought Corsair fighter plane. Bill also earned a Presidential Citation.

After the war Bill married Alice Virginia Broadfoot and the couple had three children. Bill then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He worked in the aircraft and aerospace industries and in the U.S. Department the Interior and the U.S. Department of Energy until his retirement in 1982, when he moved to
Bonham to be closer to his mother. Bill passed away at Wilson N. Jones Hospital in Sherman, TX, on June 11, 2007.

Bill’s brother, James A. Freeman, Jr., and brother-in-law Albert S. Broadfoot, Jr., both served in the military and died during WWII. His wife Alice died in 1967. Bill’s sister, Martha, worked on the Manhattan Project, Sam Rayburn’s staff, and other federal positions in Washington, D.C. They are all buried at Willow Wild Cemetery.

This information and photos were obtained from an article in the Bonham Daily Favorite, August 13, 1995 by Jacqueline White and from the Fannin Co., Texas GenWeb (txfannin.org), FindAGrave and other online sources. The Sam Rayburn House SHS presented this information at their 2025 Cemetery Walking Tour.

For a copy of the 2025 Cemetery Walking Tour guide or for other information, contact the Sam Rayburn House at (903) 583-5558 or email margo.McCutcheon@thc.texas.gov.