William C. Nosker - WWII Army Air Corps
Early Life.
1937 Norwester Yearbook - William Nosker’s senior picture.
William Harry Conklin “Bill” Nosker was born in Columbus, Ohio on September 15, 1919. He attended Upper Arlington High School, graduating in 1937. During his high school time, Bill was an athletic standout. He earned a total of 14 varsity letters in four sports: Football, Basketball, Golf and Track & Field. In his senior year, Bill was the captain of the football team. He was also a member of the 1937 OHSAA state championship basketball team. Bill was elected to the 2024 class of the Upper Arlington High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
OSU.
After high school, Bill went on to attend The Ohio State University. He was elected sophomore class president and an honorary society member all four years. From 1938 to 1940, Bill played guard on the OSU football team. The 1939 team won its first Big Ten title in 20 years. After the 1940 season, Bill left OSU before graduating to enlist in the Army Air Corp on March 16,1941 along with fellow players Don Scott and Eino Sarkkinen.
Military Service.
Nosker received training at bases in Oklahoma and Texas where he was chosen to represent Army Air Corps as the “Typical Air Cadet” in the corps national recruiting effort. According to Nosker family members, cartoonist Milton Caniff chose to model his comic hero, all-American flyboy Steve Canyon, after him. While at Kelly Airfield in San Antonio, Bill married Jean Sanborn. After completing his flight training, he became a B-24 flight instructor. In 1942 he received training as squadron commander and later became the commander of the 449th Bomb Group’s 718th squadron. He was credited with 35 missions, including missions over Romania, Austria and Germany. Bill was promoted to Assistant Wing Operations Officer of the 47th Wing of the 15th Air Force in July of 1944. On August 15th, 1944 at the age of 24, Bill died when the B-24 he was in as an observer crashed on takeoff in San Pancrazio, Italy as it was preparing to participate in Operation Anvil, the Southern France invasion. His remains were identified by the squadron medic by his Big 10 Championship ring. Major William Nosker received the Air Medal with three Oak Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and posthumously, the French Croix de Guerre.
See more at the 449th.com website.
Nosker House.
In the 1960’s, OSU was expanding including new residence halls. The Board of Trustees decided to name these halls in honor of alumni that died in war. In 1966, the Nosker House dormitory was named to honor him. In 2016, the original Nosker House was demolished, and a newer six-story Nosker House replaced it in the North Campus Residential District on West Woodruff Avenue.
Interment.
William Nosker’s remains were interred in Greenlawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio, in the Huntington Chapel Mausoleum, Portico North Wing West 11.
Written March 2024. Sources include:
449th Bomb Group Newsletter -submitted by Alan Davis.
OSU Lantern November 25, 2104 – article “A Moment From WWII Still Rings…”
Upper Arlington High School Newsletter – Nov. 20, 2023 -2024 UAHS Athletic Hall of Fame class .
The Upper Arlington Historical Society is grateful to the Nosker family for sharing their family’s history, including donating a copy of a binder created by Alan Davis, gifted to the family, that honors William C. Nosker’s life through images, stories, and clippings.