William F. Trimble was Professor of History at Auburn University from 1985 until his retirement in 2014. He received his bachelors degree (1969), masters degree (1970), and doctorate (1974) from the University of Colorado. A distinguished historian of naval aviation in the United States, he authored several books, including High Frontier: A Hisotry of Aeronautics in Pennsylvannia (1982); Wings for the Navy: A History of the Naval Aircraft Factory, 1917-1956 (1990); Admiral William A. Moffett: Architect of Naval Aviation (1994); Jerome C. Hunsaker and the Rise of American Aeronautics (2002); Attack from the Sea: A History of the U.S. Navy's Seaplane Striking Force (2005); and Hero of the Air: Glenn Curtiss and the Birth of Naval Aviation (2010). During his time at Auburn, he was chair of the Department of History from 2000 to 2006. He was an active member of the University Sentate in the 1980s and 1990s. He was also active in the Auburn University and Alabama state chapters of the American Association of University Professors, serving as president of the Auburn University chapter from 1993 to 1994, and president of the Alabama Conference from 2000 to 2013. He served a one-year appointment as the 2015 Class of 1957 Distinguished Chair of Naval Heritage at the United States Naval Academy.