William S. McArthur was born July 26, 1951, in Red Springs, North Carolina. Graduating from the United States Military Academy with a degree in Applied Science and Engineering in 1973, McArthur served with the 82nd Airborne in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After serving four tours of duty in Georgia and Korea, McArthur recieved a Masters of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Working as a flight test engineer for NASA, McArthur was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1990; he served in three spaceflight missions in 1993, 1995, and 2000. McArthur has received numerous awards, including Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (Oak leaf cluster), the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the NASA Space Flight Medal. McArthur also served as Director of Safety and Mission Assurance for the Johnson Space Center before retiring in 2017.