William F. Cecil III; fired air traffic controller; an extraordinary life during extraordinary times

October 23, 10:19 AMDC Special Interests ExaminerRon Moore

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William F. Cecil III
Baltmore Sun

Integrity is often defined or rather mis-defined as simply honesty. A true life of integrity is one lived with a single-minded set of core values that are unwavering regardless of consequences or circumstances. Individuals with integrity are rare, but where they exist they are often unnoticed since they don’t seek attention. Bill Cecil was one such man of integrity and his life should be an example to us all.

Cecil who died last month was a public servant. Not because he worked in the public sector which he did, but because he served the public good. His determination to build and nourish a civil society was so strong that even when he suffered a setback he found his way back to service. In 1981, Mr. Cecil, along with 11,000 other air traffic controllers who had gone on strike that year, was fired by President Ronald Reagan. To the labor movement this was a seismic event in modern American labor history. When Ronald Reagan fired the air traffic controllers it sent a signal to corporate America that it is time to openly wage war on workers organizing to improve their lives and their workplaces. In the case of the air traffic controllers the difficult workplace conditions compromised public safety. Nevertheless the battle was on and the results are clear as the American standard of living has deteriorated as union membership has declined.

One can only imagine the legitimate sense of outrage and grievance felt at the loss of one’s job and profession. The fire can consume and destroy but in Cecil’s case the flame continued to burn and his desire to serve was undiminished despite his personal loss. Bill Cecil lived a life that is a parable of our times. So many face setbacks in the workplace as the notion of the American Dream seems a relic of the past. If you need an example of the fallacy of that notion and a reason to pick yourself up look no farther than the life of Bill Cecil.

While friends, family and colleagues gathered to celebrate his life; the tears and tributes flowed freely as the sense of loss was offset by the joy of knowing. Antonio Gioia a current member of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s spoke of the challenge of describing a life so full and complex. “I must tell you that the task of distilling the life of Bill Cecil, within a couple of hours, would simply not be possible. And that is for Bill’s defining personal characteristic was the unrelenting passion for life that he exuded. Bill realized that life was not intended to be a spectator sport. He understood that at the end of our Divinely granted lease in this world, there are neither pause nor rewind buttons to push. The words “Would’a, could’a, shoud’a simply did not exist in Bill Cecil’s vocabulary.”

Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy shared a story about her first interview with Cecil; one that many middle-aged workers seeking a new direction should take to heart. She shared her notes as she reflected on this first meeting;”His academic background is interesting. He is from the New York area. While he was employed as an air traffic controller, there was a strike. During the strike he decided to reevaluate his career options. He decided that he wanted to become a lawyer. He stated that this goal was not going to be easy to attain since, at the time, he had not yet attended college.”

Cecil decided to go to college. He attended the University of Baltimore as a day student and he supported himself by tending bar during the evening. He graduated cum laude, in 1990. He said that he has been looking around the law field and has decided that he would like to pursue a career as a prosecutor. He is very expressive and shows a great deal of self confidence”.

She spoke of his integrity, of his passion to stand for something and take action; “Bill was a fighter. A fighter for justice for crime victims. Mrs. Iliopolis and her daughters are here today because they got to know Bill as the excellent attorney who handled the case when her daughter was murdered. There was also the Bill who went to Baltimore County to testify at the sentencing of a violent repeat offender to assure that he would be off the streets and not hurting other victims.”

The story told is one of disruption and setback but to a man of integrity; to an individual with a clear vision it almost appears seamless. Surviving family members are listed below from the Baltimore Sun article about Cecil’s passing. But it must be noted that the entire community survives and thrives thanks to this man of integrity. He lived an extraordinary life during extraordinary times. One must presume that he would disagree and would challenge us to find the extraordinary in our own lives rather than look to him as the exception. Thanks to Bill Cecil we know what integrity looks like so we can find it in ourselves.

Cecil lived at Hopewell Point in Essex with his wife of two years, Cheryl Lotz, who kept her maiden name and is manager of the courtroom clerk's division for the Circuit Court of Baltimore City

Surviving are four sons, Joshua Cecil of Hamilton, Jonathan Cecil of Cub Hill, Eric Cecil and Joseph Cecil, both of Timonium; a stepson, Matthew Lotz of Essex; a stepdaughter, Lauren Lotz of Essex; his mother, Helen D. Cecil of Timonium; three brothers, Robert J. Cecil of Essex, James M. Cecil of Timonium and J. Thomas Cecil of Washington; and three grandchildren. Earlier marriages to Terry Mullen and Nohemi Catalano ended in divorce.