William Patrick Mignon, R.I.P.

Pray for the soul of former St. Johns County School Board Chair William Mignon, who has died. In his dotage, Mr. Mignon appeared to be other-directed, forgetful, disoriented and disrespectful, e.g.. to the teacher's union (telling them how little he was paid in 1960), He was utterly insensitive to parent and student concerns about moldy St. Augustine High School wrestling mats. Mr. Mignon was utterly authoritarian, condescending and called citizens like me "disrespectful" for asking questions.  Not a good look.  As my mom wrote Camden County College for her union, "we submit that an educational institution should not be run as a dictatorship."  It's our town and our country. We have a right to ask questions, demand answers and expect democracy.  Mr. Mignon and fellow School Board members were insouciant and insolent, e.g, upon environmental health issues.  I found Mr. Mignon to be way past his prime -- overrated, snooty, snobby, nasty, brutish and short.   Pray for Mr. Mignon's soul.  (Upon the death of former Republican President Calvin Coolidge ("Silent Cal"), Dorothy Parker remarked, "How could they tell?")

William P. “Bill” Mignon 1937-2024

The St. Augustine Historical Society wishes to express their profound sorrow upon the passing of William P. “Bill” Mignon. Mr. Mignon cared deeply for the community and its history. He supported our organization as a Board Member and participated in the Society’s veterans oral history project Stories of Service. He donated photographs and documents, loaned exhibit materials, and sat down for an oral history interview. Outside of the St. Augustine Historical Society, Mr. Mignon was involved with the Hastings Main Street organization.           Born in Bronx, New York on September 4, 1937, Mr. Mignon moved to St. Augustine in 1952. He attended Ketterlinus High School before attending the University of Florida (UF). While at UF, Mr. Mignon joined the Army ROTC program, and was commissioned a second lieutenant upon his graduation in 1961. While waiting to report for duty, he taught seventh grade science at Hastings High School.           After completing assigned training courses, Mr. Mignon deployed to Straubing, Germany with the 11th Armored Cavalry, Aviation Company. In 1965, the 11th Armored Cavalry was called back to United States, and Mr. Mignon’s tour of duty ended. Following his Army service, Mr. Mignon accepted a position as a secondary school teacher at St. Augustine High School. He also joined the Florida National Guard as a fixed-wing aviator. He later transitioned to flying rotary-wing aircraft, namely the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, the “Huey.”          During the summers, Mr. Mignon worked as a historian at the Castillo de San Marcos for the National Park Service. Leaving education, he briefly worked for the Federal Aviation Agency in the late 1960s before returning to teaching at St. Augustine High School. He obtained his master’s degree in education from the University of Florida in 1972. Mr. Mignon later became principal of the evening division of the St. Augustine Technical Center, before serving in a variety of administrative positions at R. B. Hunt Elementary School over a period of fourteen years, Nease High School for thirteen years, and Pedro Menendez High School for five years. At Nease High School, Mr. Mignon was responsible for the creation of the school’s ROTC program.           Additionally, Mr. Mignon served as an elected member of the St. Johns County School Board for a period of sixteen years. In total, in one form or another, he served the St. Johns County School District for fifty-six years and served in the military for thirty-four years.           For his long tenure of service, to both the nation and the St. Johns County community, we extend a heartfelt thank you. From those of us here at the Historical Society, we give our deepest condolences to his family and friends. We will miss Mr. Mignon’s support, engagement, and company.