Morgan, 85, an Asheville native who spent most of his life in the city, passed away on Saturday, May 15, 2004, from complications from a fall he sustained at an air show at the Asheville Regional Airport. With his passing, another chapter of the many powerful, human stories of World War II came to a close.

Bob Morgan (seen in second photo on right), known throughout his life for his daring spirit and friendly demeanor, led a comfortable life in Asheville in the days prior to World War II.

But the course of his life changed with his 1940 enlistment in the Army Air Corps � within a week of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the newly trained pilot found himself with orders that would take him to England and to some of the most harrowing and dangerous flights of the war.

The early days of the war in Europe were bleak ones indeed. Hitler�s Nazi military was inflicting serious damage and a high fatality rate on Allied air forces. A staggering eight out of ten bomber crews were not returning from their missions. Since the Army Air Corps required that these crews complete 25 successful missions before they could return to the States, it was a success rate that seemed almost unattainable at the time.

Then, along came Bob Morgan and his now famous B-17, which he named the �Memphis Belle� (in honor of his then-girlfriend, a Memphis belle named Margaret Polk). Morgan and his Memphis Belle became the first to successfully complete 25 bombing missions. In spite of significant damage on most of his bombing runs, Morgan and the Memphis Belle (see third photo on the right) kept coming home to their base in England every night. While the humble Morgan credited much of his success to luck, most experienced pilots agree the bomber�s survival came as a result of Morgan�s bold level-headedness and skills in the cockpit.

Morgan was just the boost the war-weary American home front needed. The Army Air Corps brought crowd-pleasing Morgan and his Memphis Belle home to inspire the American public and to raise money for war bonds. During his 1943 nationwide tour, Morgan visited 29 cities, lifting the spirits of Americans across the country with parades and programs honoring his accomplishment. One of his stops was in Asheville, where he flew his famous Flying Fortress � with his wings at a steep angle � between Asheville City Hall and the Buncombe County Courthouse. Those who saw it still talk about the thrilling moment � �That�s just like Bob Morgan!� remains a common refrain.

Following the nationwide tour, Morgan returned to service once again, this time completing an astonishing 26 bombing missions in the Pacific, one of which (in 1944), was the first bombing run over Tokyo since Doolittle�s famous 1942 raid.

Morgan returned to Asheville after the war, running a successful furniture business until he sold it in the 1970s. He remained active in the decades that followed as a real estate broker with Beverly-Hanks & Associates.

Tom Leslie, whose desk was next to Morgan�s for three years while working at Beverly Hanks & Associates in the 1980�s, said, �Bob had a great sense of humor, but he had a very modest demeanor and was a very soft spoken gentleman. My father, G. L. Leslie, Jr., also flew out of England on bombing missions over Germany, but was shot down on his tenth mission, and spent the remainder of the war in a German POW camp. Based on my father�s experience, and many of the stories he told me about the losses the U. S. Eighth Air Force suffered on its bombing missions over Germany, I have a special insight and appreciation on how lucky (and talented) Colonel Morgan was to successfully complete not only twenty-five bombing missions over Germany, but also the twenty-six bombing missions in the Pacific. The statistical odds of completing 51 bombing missions during World War II are so low as to be nonexistent, yet Bob successfully returned from all 51 missions.�

Morgan�s life was forever tied to the military, aviation, and the Memphis Belle. An avid pilot, Morgan remained in the Army Reserve until 1965, and was a frequent and popular speaker at many air shows across the country.

Two movies were made about his World War II accomplishments, one a 1943 documentary titled �The Memphis Belle,� and the other a 1989 movie (see photo above), also called �The Memphis Belle,� which starred Matthew Modine as Morgan.

Morgan also wrote an autobiography in 2001, �The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle.�

At the time of his death, Bob Morgan was married to his wife of 12 years, Linda, whom he met at one of the many air shows he visited in the years following his accomplishments during World War II. Those who knew him readily agree that his friendly, easy-going ways remained constant throughout his inspiring life.

(Photos provided by the Memphis Belle Web site, and Warner Bros. Pictures.)

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