William L. Rice, Captain, U.S. Navy (Retired) took off for his last time to an undisclosed destination on September 1, 2023. He was 88. Captain Rice was born in Covington, TN in 1935 and spent all his formative years in Ripley, TN. He attended Rice Institute (now Rice University) in Houston TX and the University of Tennessee. Subsequently, he became a Naval Aviation Cadet, receiving his coveted Wings of Gold and commission as an Ensign in September, 1958. He embarked on a career in Anti-Submarine Warfare, amassing over 6000 pilot hours in many different aircraft. He was Commanding Officer of Patrol Squadron Twenty-Two in Hawaii and Commanding Officer of Naval Air Station Brunswick, ME. His several medals include the Legion of Merit and Navy Commendation Medal (with combat V). He obtained a BA in International Relations from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA and a MA in Management from Central Michigan University. He was a graduate of The Industrial College of the Armed Forces. National Defense University. After 26 plus years in the Navy, Captain Rice spent 17 years in various management positions in GE Aerospace and Lockheed-Martin Corp. He leaves behind his best buddy and partner for life, Patricia, alias Rice Patti. The mother of his three children, Becky Millis (and family) of Centreville, VA, Bradley Rice (and family) of Spotsylvania, VA, and Brian Rice (and family) of Colorado Springs, CO. He had seven grandchildren.