Billy McKeever
| Date and Place of Birth: | June 20, 1942 Pittfield, MA |
| Date and Place of Death: | July 29, 1963 Denton, TX |
| Baseball Experience: | Amateur |
| Position: | Outfield |
| Rank: | Private First Class |
| Military Unit: | 602 Medical Company US Army |
| Area Served: | United States |
William “Billy” McKeever, the son of Vincent and Margaret McKeever,
was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on June 20, 1942. Billy was an
outstanding athlete at St. Joseph’s High School and captained both the
baseball and basketball teams. Following graduation, he attended North
Adams State College where he starred on the 1960-1961 basketball team
before entering service with the Army.
McKeever was initially stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, then served
with the 602 Medical Company at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and played on the
baseball and basketball teams. On July 29, 1963, five members of the
baseball team were returning to base in a government station wagon after
a 3-game series at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Fort Pol won the first game, 2-1
in 10 innings and the second game, 8-0, before dropping the third game,
4-3). On the Stemmons Expressway, west of the Dallas Drive intersection
in South Denton, Texas, the vehicle was hit by a gust of wind,
apparently a whirlwind, and thrown out of control. It struck a curb and
rolled over twice.
Tony Lawrence, Marion Hughes and Sergeant David K. Leonard (the driver
of the car and a former minor league pitcher in the Cardinals
organization), suffered minor injuries. Al Roan and Ron McHugh, were
both seriously injured and flown to Brooks General Hospital in San
Antonio. Billy McKeever was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead
on arrival at Flow Memorial Hospital in Denton. He was due to be
released from military service in 30 days and had enrolled at the
college again for the coming year.
A High Mass of Requiem was held at St. Joseph’s Church in Pittsfield,
with burial at St. Joseph’s Cemetery.
In October 1963, the McKeever Memorial Booster Club was organized for
the purpose of accepting contributions to the scholarship fund that was
set up in the memory of Billy. The General Electric Company was among
the first to contribute to the fund with a $500 plant gate collection in
November 1963.
Date Added May 21, 2023
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