W.M. Tarrant

William M. Tarrant was born in Chicago December 8, 1951, and seven weeks later moved with his parents to a country home on farm land near Mt. Sterling, Illinois. Since an early age he has been looking up at airplanes passing over head and the wide open space in the country afforded unobstructed views. He recalls watching fighter planes refueling from a tanker, a P-51 Mustang flying directly over the house, private airplanes circling about, military fighters practicing low altitude maneuvers, and the high-altitude contrails of jets streaking to their destinations.

He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Illinois University. He worked a variety of jobs before settling in at a community college as a writer and photographer in the marketing and public relations department from which he retired. With the time he now has, he is pursuing flight ratings and is focusing on writing. He has contributed to Aviation History Magazine.

He lives in Galesburg, Illinois, with his wife Jenny. Galesburg is home of the National Stearman Fly-In held for a week each year in September beginning on Labor Day. The event provides plenty of opportunity to look up at airplanes flying overhead.

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