William A. (Bill) Horstman was born Feb. 24, 1934 in Creighton, NE. Bill developed a life-long interest in flying at an early age. Another of his childhood interests that continued throughout his life was amateur radio operation. He was assigned his first call letters, WOTQE, as a young student in Creighton. While setting pins in a bowling alley Bill had an accident that resulted in the development of bone cancer and he suffered the loss of his right leg. Because of this, Bill was unable to fulfill his dream of joining the air force. He graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in electrical engineering and certification for secondary education. After several years of teaching high school math and science Bill joined the Corps of Engineers in Omaha, NE.
Bill began his career with the Federal Aviation Administration in 1961 when he accepted an assignment with the Alaskan Region as an Electrical Engineer, working with the region's Maintenance Project Crew and in the F&E Division. While in Alaska, Bill was the Inspection Section Chief and the Radar/Nav-Aids Design Unit Chief. During this time, after completing many hours of instruction (much of it in the Alaskan bush) Bill passed the required test and earned his private pilot's license. One of his great joys during the rest of his life was the time he spent flying his 1946 Ercoupe-N2172H
In 1976 Bill's career took him from Alaska to the FAA Academy at the Mike Monronney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City as TACAN Unit Chief. He was promoted to NAV/COMM Section Chief and later became Radar Section Chief. In 1981, Bill accepted the position of Chief of the Omaha Sector Field Office. In 1984 he was assigned to the FAA Regional Office in Kansas City, MO. Bill's next assignment took him to the Airways Facility Sector Office in St. Louis where, after serving as the Assistant Sector Manager, Bill was promoted to the position of Sector Manager. He held this position until he retired in January of 1991, after 30 years of service with the Federal Aviation Administration.
Bill and his wife, Joan, raised two sons and a daughter, moving the family from Alaska to Oklahoma in their teen and pre-teen years. Bill always had the "best job" in the FAA no matter what work he was doing at the moment. Bil| died from lung cancer in 1993.