In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

Apr 19, 2024, 11:04 AM

Some of you old farts may remember this tragedy. Bill was Director of Business Affairs at Clemson. He was at a conference in Orlando in April 1999 and had brought his family along for a vacation. For reasons never really understood, they were crossing a busy highway around midnight and hit by a car. His wife and son were killed, and he suffered severe brain injuries. His daughter was the only one to survive. Bill hung on for a few months before he died.

I've had a hole in my heart ever since, and always will. I always know when April is coming around because I get sad for no reason. I was an only child but Bill was as close to a brother as I ever had. We met in 7th grade and immediately hit it off. He was smart as hel! and had an amazing sense of humor... like mine, totally irreverent and a bit twisted by most standards. We'd talk on the phone for a couple hours and both be in tears from laughter.

This is a picture from 1974 our junior year in HS. Much to the chagrin and astonishment of the counselors and teachers at Carolina High School, these two dope smoking hippies were the smartest kids in the school. Not the butt kissing teacher pets and NHS members. We were Furman Scholars, as we had the highest SAT scores, and qualified for an academic scholarship. That's me on the far left and Bill giving the thumbs up.

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smoking cigarettes and writing something nasty on the wall

Regional Medical Center) to the Shephard Center in Atlanta... it specializes in brain and spinal cord injuries. His brain had swollen and they had to drill a hole in his skull to relieve the pressure. When it was OK for me to visit I drove down to see him. It was so sad. It looked like Bill, but it wasn't him. He just kinda grinned and looked at me like he was trying to figure out who I was. I couldn't take it and left after about 20 mins. He finally passed in August, as you said.

I don't know if his father's post was directed to me or not. But I knew his parents (Bill Sr and Marilyn) well, and spent a lot of time at his house during high school. Bill Sr was a Ga Tech grad, the first college graduate any of us had ever known. We were awestruck, as lowly lint-heads from the cotton mills of Gville. He was also an audiophile and had the first quad system I'd ever seen or heard. When his parents were out of town we'd crank up Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, etc.

TigerSmith '75®

In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

Re: In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

Thx for sharing & yes, what a terrible loss of a friend & family.

here's an article about the incident...

Re: In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

Re: In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

Re: In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

I remember this very well.

Yes, you remember correctly 75. Bill was eventually moved from ORMC (Orlando

Re: In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

Re: In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

Re: In memory of my good friend Bill Kilgore. He's been gone now for 25 years.

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