William Mortimer MacVicar

Bill was born in Newton Mass, Oct 13, 1924 to Guy Mortimer MacVicar and Marion Croft Whyte, the third in a family of 4 children. The family moved to Hermosa Beach, California, where Bill graduated from Redondo High School in June 1942. On his 18th birthday he enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the Army Air Corps, where he trained to become a pilot. In 1944, he was assigned to the 390th Bomb Group (Heavy) in Framlingham, England, where he flew 16 missions as a B17 copilot. He was seriously wounded in his second mission, earning a Purple Heart. He was most proud of and grateful for his participation in operation Chow Hound, dropping food to the starving Dutch at the end of the war. Three days after returning home he turned 21.

After he was discharged from service he enrolled at his father and grandfather’s alma mater Harvard University. He graduated in 1949 with a degree in economics, returning to Belvedere, California, the final residence of his parents. After initial work as a telephone solicitor for want ads, Bill found his life’s work and passion in insurance adjusting, initially employed by Brown Brothers Adjusters, who sent him and his family to Eureka, California, Reno, Nevada, Pasadena, California, and finally to Portland, Oregon in April 1962. In 1966, he branched out on his own and started an independent adjusting company, which in 1969 became Pioneer Adjustment Company, the successful firm that at its peak ran four branches in Oregon and Washington. He remained active until his retirement at age 89. As an independent adjustor, he attracted unique and interesting cases that stimulated his creative and intellectual skills, requiring research into a diverse number of disciplines. He was an important part of the insurance world of Portland, highly involved in organizations such as Affiliated Adjustors, Inc. and the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose.

Starting in 1987, Bill became active with the 390th Bomb Group Veterans Association, attending yearly reunions and reconnecting with veterans, eventually becoming president of the Association from 2004 until its dissolution in 2012. He continued to be fully engaged as board member and supporter of the 390th Memorial Museum in Tucson, AZ until his death. These times with his fellow veterans, with the stories and experiences that could only be truly understood by each other, were among the most meaningful of his later years. This was a true Band of Brothers.

He was a dear, dear man who was deeply loved by his wife Kathy, children Guy Hallman and wife Lorraine, Charlotte James, Bill and wife Jackie MacVicar, Missy Rosell and husband Alfredo , Jim and wife Wendy MacVicar, Mike Stenehjem, and Kim Green, 21 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.