Avenue of Heroes: William “Bill” McClure

Prepared by: Daniel H. McClure and William J. McClure (sons)

Captain Willian D. “Bill” McClure was born in 1925 in Lebanon, Missouri, where he was raised in a family of four sons. Since childhood, he dreamed of joining the Navy, and did so at age 17, following his high school graduation in 1943. He received his commission in 1945 and served on the destroyer escort USS Woodsworth in the western Pacific in time for the Battle of Okinawa. His poor mother had all four sons serving overseas during the final year of World War II. He was released from active duty in 1946 to complete college at the University of Missouri, graduating in 1948.

McClure returned to active duty in 1950 at the onset of the Korean War and chose to make the Navy his career. As a commander, he made multiple trips to Vietnam during the mid- 1960s aboard the USS Gaffey, then served a 13-month tour in Saigon from 1967 to 1968. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with combat “V.”

After 36 years of Naval service, including three tours stationed in Coronado, he retired here as a captain.

In 1950, while serving as a lieutenant aboard the USS Albuquerque during a port call in Hong Kong, he met and soon married his greatest love, Shirley Chao of Tsingtao, China.

Bill led an active retirement, volunteering extensively and staying involved in the lives of his growing family and in projects with Shirley. He was a longtime enthusiastic volunteer with the Coronado Optimist Club, serving as president from 1989 to 1990. He also spent many years working with San Diego’s Union of Pan Asian Communities, helping Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants file tax returns. Additionally, he volunteered at the Retirement Affairs Office at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, assisting families of recently deceased service members.

Bill passed away peacefully in Coronado just short of his 92nd birthday. He was survived by Shirley, his wife of 67 years; two sons and a daughter; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He loved the Navy and was honored to have served.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Established in 2014, the program has honored 309 hometown heroes to date, with another 14 to be recognized on November 1, 2025. City staff and dedicated volunteers from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association, and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee the program’s operation.

The program was inspired in 2011, when the Coronado community spontaneously came together to honor the passage of two Navy SEALs to their final resting place. As news spread, members of the local Rotary Club handed out American flags, and residents lined Fourth Street in tribute. As the procession neared the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting his fallen comrades. In that moment, it became clear that Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That moment inspired the City to formalize the program, which officially launched in May 2015 with 18 banners. Since then, the Avenue of Heroes has served as a lasting reminder of Coronado’s deep military roots and enduring legacy of service.

In 2014, Coronado resident Toni McGowan, a devoted advocate for honoring local military members, helped transform the idea into a lasting tradition. Her tireless efforts led the City to designate State Route 282—Third and Fourth streets from Orange Avenue to Naval Air Station North Island—as the “Coronado Avenue of Heroes” and to adopt the companion banner ceremony.

McGowan also worked with the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association and other partners to have the Avenue of Heroes designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway, a tribute to the nation’s Armed Forces. The State of California granted this designation in January 2017. Although McGowan passed away in 2019, her dedication and vision continue to inspire the program today.