Deceased November 15, 2008

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In Memory

The family of Bill Prentiss provided notification of his passing on Saturday, Nov. 15, at a hospital in Doylestown, Pa. His last residence was in New Britain, located in Bucks County. No cause of death was included with the notice.

Bill was born in Baltimore, Md., in 1924. He graduated from A.B. Davis High School in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., in 1942, after which he matriculated at Amherst where he pledged Beta Theta Pi. No record of military service is available, but we know Bill completed his studies at Amherst in 1947. His next sojourn was at Brown Univ. where he completed work for a Ph.D. in 1950 as well as earning an additional degree in chemistry in 1951.

Bill and Connie Hebner were married during February of 1945. He delighted in claiming that this fact should probably entitle him to claim the trophy for being the first ’46er to venture into wedlock. Son Dusty was born in Providence in 1949, and a daughter, Lynn, followed during 1953 at Bristol, Pa.

Bill devoted most of his career to the research department of the Rohm and Haas Company. His first assignment was with a team which developed acrylic latex designed specifically for house paints, a feat which enabled Rohm and Haas to become a world leader for paints of all kinds. After retirement in 1987 and one year of blissful leisure, Bill returned to the “nine to five” research life as the general manager of Leather Products Laboratory. This business required a huge amount of world travel. The package included several excursions deep into mainland China, where he acquired a devoted admiration for the Chinese people.

For many years Connie and Bill were exhibitors and breeders of golden retrievers. They established the Moreland Kennels for this purpose. They were proud of the titles accumulated for grand champions, obedience performance and hunting prowess. Connie also became devoted to the breeding of Himalayan cats which also produced champions and grand champions. These activities were downsized several years ago to a mere two goldens, which they trained only for “obedience” and “field.”

Woody Steinwart ’46