This Day in Aviation History
July 13th, 1915
David Lee “Tex” Hill is born.

HILL, DAVID LEE [TEX] (1915–2007). David Lee “Tex” Hill was a World War II fighter pilot and combat ace who served with the legendary American Volunteer Group (AVG), better known as the Flying Tigers. Hill, the youngest of four children, was born on July 13, 1915, at Kwangju, Korea, to Dr. Pierre Bernard Hill and Ella Hill, Presbyterian missionaries. The Hills returned to the United States when David was fifteen months old, and after living in Virginia and then Kentucky, in 1921 the family settled in San Antonio, Texas, where Dr. Hill served as the minister of First Presbyterian Church. The family also spent part of their summers at a church member’s home in Hunt, Texas. As a small child, Hill was impressed by seeing cadets from Kelly Field and had a memorable and influential experience when he and a friend got to ride in a biplane at Winburn Field in San Antonio. Young David also enjoyed building kites and model airplanes. He attended Travis Elementary and graduated from San Antonio Academy in 1928.

Hill studied at McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he excelled at boxing and won the Tennessee Middleweight Championship in 1934; he graduated that same year. While attending school in Chattanooga, he acquired the nickname “Tex” that was to remain with him the remainder of his life. After a short time at the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College, he transferred to Austin College in Sherman, Texas. Shortly after his graduation from Austin College in 1938, David joined the United States Navy as an aviator, earning his wings at Pensacola in November 1939 with the rank of ensign…..

Source:
TSHA, HILL, DAVID LEE [TEX]: http://gstv.us/1gw7l73

YouTube, Video from the Past [35] – David Lee “Tex” Hill – A Flying Tiger: http://gstv.us/1gw7mrC

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