William Bee Ravenel III
Encyclopedia
William Bee Ravenel III was an educator and a soldier. As head of the English
Department at the Episcopal High School
in Alexandria, Virginia
, he was a major influence on the life of Arizona senator and 2008 U.S. presidential candidate John McCain
, who called Ravenel "one of the finest men I have ever known". During World War II
Maj. Ravenel received both the Silver Star
and the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Cluster
s while serving in the 6th Armored Division of General George Patton's Third Army. He became a Colonel
in the U.S. Army Reserve while teaching at Episcopal High.
Sen. McCain reflected on the positive impact Mr. Ravenel had on his life in an interview with the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health: "I have never forgotten the confidence his praise gave me. Nor did I ever forget the man who praised me. Years later, during the time I was imprisoned in Vietnam, I thought about Mr. Ravenel a lot. He was the one who reinforced in me the standards of honorable behavior. I was faced with several decisions and one in particular, would I accept an offer of the Vietnamese to go home early? I thought about the fact that Mr. Ravenel had been in combat in World War II and thus had a feel for what I was involved in. And I really believed, as I thought about it and considered it, that Mr. Ravenel wouldn't look favorably upon such a decision, because it was not an honorable one. So, I refused the offer...
"After I returned home, Mr. Ravenel was the only person outside of my family who I wanted to see, because his approval or disapproval of me was probably more important than anyone else's in my life, outside of my father's. I felt he was someone to whom I could explain what had happened to me, and who would understand. That is a high tribute to Mr. Ravenel.
"I regret that I was never able to pay him that tribute. Upon return I found that my mentor had passed on. Mr. Ravenel had died of a heart attack two years [sic] before my release from prison. He lived for only 53 years. His early death was a great loss to his family, friends, and students, and to everyone who had been blessed with his company; a loss I found difficult to accept.
"Were William B. Ravenel the only person I remembered from high school, I would credit those days as among the best of my life. He was an inspirational man, and I wasn't the only one that he inspired. His influence over my life, while perhaps not apparent to most who have observed its progress, was more important and more benevolent than that of any other person save members of my family."
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Department at the Episcopal High School
Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia)
Episcopal High School , founded in 1839, is a private boarding school located in Alexandria, Virginia. The Holy Hill's campus houses 435 students from 30 states, the District of Columbia and 17 different countries...
in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, he was a major influence on the life of Arizona senator and 2008 U.S. presidential candidate John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, who called Ravenel "one of the finest men I have ever known". During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Maj. Ravenel received both the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
and the Bronze Star with two Oak Leaf Cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...
s while serving in the 6th Armored Division of General George Patton's Third Army. He became a Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the U.S. Army Reserve while teaching at Episcopal High.
Sen. McCain reflected on the positive impact Mr. Ravenel had on his life in an interview with the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health: "I have never forgotten the confidence his praise gave me. Nor did I ever forget the man who praised me. Years later, during the time I was imprisoned in Vietnam, I thought about Mr. Ravenel a lot. He was the one who reinforced in me the standards of honorable behavior. I was faced with several decisions and one in particular, would I accept an offer of the Vietnamese to go home early? I thought about the fact that Mr. Ravenel had been in combat in World War II and thus had a feel for what I was involved in. And I really believed, as I thought about it and considered it, that Mr. Ravenel wouldn't look favorably upon such a decision, because it was not an honorable one. So, I refused the offer...
"After I returned home, Mr. Ravenel was the only person outside of my family who I wanted to see, because his approval or disapproval of me was probably more important than anyone else's in my life, outside of my father's. I felt he was someone to whom I could explain what had happened to me, and who would understand. That is a high tribute to Mr. Ravenel.
"I regret that I was never able to pay him that tribute. Upon return I found that my mentor had passed on. Mr. Ravenel had died of a heart attack two years [sic] before my release from prison. He lived for only 53 years. His early death was a great loss to his family, friends, and students, and to everyone who had been blessed with his company; a loss I found difficult to accept.
"Were William B. Ravenel the only person I remembered from high school, I would credit those days as among the best of my life. He was an inspirational man, and I wasn't the only one that he inspired. His influence over my life, while perhaps not apparent to most who have observed its progress, was more important and more benevolent than that of any other person save members of my family."
External links
- McCain, John S. (2008, 1 April). Episcopal Offered Me a Home Text of speech at Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia). Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- Ringle, Ken (2008, 12 May). A Hero's Life. The Weekly StandardThe Weekly StandardThe Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative opinion magazine published 48 times per year. Its founding publisher, News Corporation, debuted the title September 18, 1995. Currently edited by founder William Kristol and Fred Barnes, the Standard has been described as a "redoubt of...
Volume 013, Issue 33. Retrieved on 2008-05-04. - The Harvard Mentoring Project (2002). http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy2009/Celebrities/john_mccain.html Text of interview with the Harvard Mentoring Project. Retrieved on 2009-11-12.