NAME:  William Surles "Bill" McArthur, Jr., (Lieutenant Colonel, USA)
       NASA Astronaut
 
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE:  Born July 26, 1951, in Laurinburg, North
Carolina.  His hometown is Wakulla, North Carolina.  His parents, Mr.
& Mrs. Weldon C. Avant, reside in Wakulla.  His father, Brigadier
General William S. McArthur, is deceased.
 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:  Brown hair; blue eyes; 6 feet 1 inch; 167
pounds.
 
EDUCATION:  Graduated from Red Springs High School, Red Springs, North
Carolina, in 1969; received a bachelor of science degree in Applied
Science and Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West
Point, New York, in 1973, and a master of science degree in Aerospace
Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1983.
 
MARITAL STATUS:  Married to the former Cynthia Kathryn Lovin of Red
Springs, North Carolina.  Her parents, Mr. & Mrs. A. K. Lovin, reside
in Red Springs.
 
CHILDREN:  Kathryn Amelia, August 8, 1979; Margaret Callie, February
25, 1981.
 
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:  He enjoys basketball, running, and
photography.
 
ORGANIZATIONS:  Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics &
Astronautics (AIAA), the Army Aviation Association of America, the
Association of the United States Army, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association, MENSA, and Phi Kappa Phi.
 
SPECIAL HONORS:  Recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal (First Oak
Leaf Cluster), and the Army Commendation Medal.  Distinguished
Graduate of the U.S. Army Aviation School.
 
EXPERIENCE:  McArthur graduated from West Point in June 1973 and was
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.  Following a
tour with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he
entered the U.S. Army Aviation School in 1975.  He was the top
graduate of his flight class and was designated an Army Aviator in
June 1976.  He subsequently served as an aeroscout team leader and
brigade aviation section commander with the 2nd Infantry Division in
the Republic of Korea.  In 1978 he was assigned to the 24th Combat
Aviation Battalion in Savannah, Georgia, where he served as a company
commander, platoon leader, and assistant operations officer.  After
completing studies at Georgia Tech, he was assigned to the Department
of Mechanics at West Point as an assistant professor.  In June 1987,
he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and was designated
an Experimental Test Pilot.  Other Military Schools completed include
the Army Parachutist Course and the Command and General Staff
Officers' Course.  A Master Army Aviator, he has logged over 2,400
flight hours in 34 different aircraft.
 
NASA EXPERIENCE:  McArthur was assigned to NASA at the Johnson Space
Center in August 1987 as a Space Shuttle Vehicle Integration Test
Engineer.  Duties involved engineering liaison for launch and landing
operations of the Space Shuttle.  He was actively involved in the
integrated test of the flight control system for each orbiter for its
return flight.  He was a member of the Emergency Escape and Rescue
Working Group.
 
Selected by NASA in January 1990, McArthur became an astronaut in July
1991.  He is qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on
future Space Shuttle flight crews, and is currently assigned to the
Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch, working issues on the
Solid Rocket Booster, Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor, and the Advanced
Solid Rocket Motor.
 
AUGUST 1991