His first love

A Beaverton vet will relive his glory days in the air

By Shasta Kearns Moore

The Beaverton Valley Times, Nov 6, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Friends of Capt. William Clopton will take him on a flight over Northwest Oregon next week to celebrate his days in the Air Force.

Jaime Valdez / The Beaverton Valley Times

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“This is a story of intestinal fortitude — — That intangible item known to all of us as ‘GUTS’ (sic). This is the story of Captain William Clopton of Headquarters, Fourth Air Force.”

You won’t find many news stories that start that way these days, but more than 50 years ago just such an opening graced an article about a now-retired Air Force pilot and Beaverton resident.

Clopton, now 85, has suffered many losses since then, including two wives and his right arm. But in honor of Veterans Day, his friends at Hearthstone of Beaverton, a retirement facility on Southwest Hart Road, planned a special outing to help him relive his hot-shot days.

“It’s kind of like making a dream come true for a senior,” said Janice Lio, community relations manager for Hearthstone. Lio’s son, Chris, plans to take Clopton up in his Commander 114 for a tour around Northwest Oregon on the afternoon of Nov. 12, weather permitting.

“My grandfather had a love for aviation and that’s kind of what started it for me,” said Chris Lio, who is a real estate agent but flies regularly in his spare time. “So to be able to take someone like him up is kind of a personal thing for me and my family.”

Flying through the ups and downs of life

Flying was Clopton’s life, and, he says, his first true love, although he was married twice.

His last marriage, of 41 years, ended abruptly on the Fourth of July, 2007, when his wife died suddenly of brain cancer. Clopton took it very hard and eventually moved up from California to be closer to his daughter.

He now spends his days playing bingo, exercising and generally taking advantage of many of the available activities.

But ask about his war history, and his face brightens as he openly recounts his younger days as a maverick pilot in World War II and the Korean War.

“I knew I just had to buzz Paris. I just had to,” begins one story.

“I really got bored seeing blue sky up there and blue water down there and I thought, ‘Heck, I’ll fly down there and see if I can see a whale, or maybe a sub(marine),’” begins another.

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