Rankin, William D.

Description

William D. Rankin

William D. Rankin was born in New York on September 11, 1926 to William and Margurite Rankin. In Rye his family lived on Stuyvesant Avenue. His father was from Scotland and workrd as an assistant greens keeper at a private club. William was a Rye High School Graduate, Class of 1944. He enlisted 5 Dec 1945 and served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

Known as Bill, he attended the Rye High School in Rye, NY where he won top honors in the Art Department. He took his senior exams a year early so that he would have parental permission to enlist in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He enlisted at age 17. He was a flight engineer on a B-24 Liberator. He was attached to anti-submarine surveillance up and down the east coast. He was stationed with the Ninth Army Air Corps near Frankfurt, Germany at the end of the war.

After the war, Mr. Rankin attended the Tyler School of Fine Art at Temple University in Philadelphia on the G.I. Bill. At 21 he lead a design group at Kip Studios, a textile manufacturer. During the course of his life he was a published cartoonist; notably for a character in Motor Boating Magazine, ”Skipper Smeadly.”

Mr. Rankin was a fine artist as well. His notable work was in the mediums of water colors, oils and woodcuts. His work was shown at the Main Street Gallery on Nantucket Island, MA. He visited the island many times in the 70’s and 80’s at his residence in Nantucket Town. He resided in Philadelphia.

William Douglas Rankin, age 74, died December 23, 2000 at Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

At the time of his death he was survived by his wife, Aurele; his children, E. Christy Church, Terrance D. Rankin, Alexandra Samuels and Arthur Samuels; and by two grandchildren, Ross D. Rankin and Martha R. Rankin.