- Date Of Birth: January 14, 1920
- Date Of Death: August 7, 2009
- State: Florida
Col. Arvis Laverne “Hoot” Hilpert
1920 – 2009
Col. Arvis Laverne “Hoot” Hilpert, born January 14, 1920, in Stanford, Illinois, passed away on Friday, August 7, 2009, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Pensacola after a brief illness. Col. Hilpert, born to Beulah and Harry Hilpert, grew up with aspirations of being a pilot. A flying member of the civilian Air Patrol at the age of 12, he left to join the Air Force in WW II, after a brief academic stint at Purdue and Stanford Universities. After basic training in Texas, Hoot was selected to be a flight instructor, due primarily to his already substantial flying experience. Shortly thereafter, he was stationed in Europe as a fighter pilot and wing commander against Nazi Germany.
After returning to the U. S. and building upon his already substantial knowledge of tactical air warfare, he met and wed his wife Cissy and welcomed the arrival of their only child, Cindy Hilpert. He then entered the Korean Conflict. Upon the end of the Korean hostilities, Hoot again returned to the U. S. and served at various installations, including March Field, CA, Ft. Sill, OK, Kelly Field, TX, the Air War College, Clovis, NM, Langley, VA, and Goldsboro, NC, before entering the Vietnam War. He returned from Vietnam to become Deputy Commander at Eglin AFB and Commander of Hurlburt Field, from where he retired in 1970.
Col Hilpert then began a long and celebrated career as a charter boat captain and pilot for the Rob-Roy Corporation, based in Pittsburgh, PA. The boat was based at the Robroy Motel and Marina on Destin Harbor. Hoot applied his typical cerebral approach to the waters of Northwest Florida in the same fashion that he applied them to the skies of the world. While he was exploring the waters off Destin, his wife Cissy was building an illustrious Real Estate business and career.
Hoot was pre-deceased by his wife Cissy and his Grandson Noah. He is survived by his daughter Cindy, Sister-in-law Conna Craig, nephews; Kelly and Carson Craig, niece Ilona, great-nephew Robbie, and several other great nieces and nephews.
