Remembering Captain William L. McGonagle, USN – Skipper of USS Liberty

From The Log: Spring 1999 (Front Page): Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient – CAPT William McGONAGLE – Commissioned: USC NROTC, Class of 1947, dies.

Bill McGonagle lost his bout with lung cancer on Wednesday, Mar 3, 1999, the same day as the NROTC Alumni League Board of Directors spring meeting in the Commons Building on the USC campus. At that meeting, unaware of McGonagle’s passing, Bill Stevens announced that McGonagle’s lung cancer had recurred. After the announcement, the Board voted to assume the funding of the annual William McGonagle Scholarship Award for an outstanding midshipmen at League expense, if and when the Captain passed on.

The story of Captain McGonagle’s ordeal with the air and sea attacks on his ship, the USS Liberty, by Israeli planes and PT boats was chronicled in the 1997 Alumni League Log.