Deceased September 18, 2005
View alumni profile (log in required)
In Memory
Bill Meldrum, a cum laude graduate of the College and member of the Class of 1940, died on September 18 at his home in Naples, FL. He was eighty-seven.
Bill moved to Naples in 1998, but until then had lived most of his life in or around Cleveland. He graduated from the University School in 1936 and came to Amherst, following in the footsteps of his late brother Andy ’36. During World War II Bill served in the Navy, seeing action in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. After the war he went to work for the Cleveland News and Plain Dealer, serving first as a reporter and then as Assistant Financial Editor. From 1976 to 1983 he was president of the Mountain Valley Water Co. in Cleveland. He and a friend then founded, Moore, Meldrum and Associates, a public relations firm. He remained in the public relations field for many years. From 1987 to 1993 he was president of the Mountain Valley Water Company in Cleveland.
While at Amherst Bill played both tennis and squash, earning his letter in squash as a senior. He continued to play both games until recently when poor health forced him to quit. In fact, after moving to Naples in 1999 he made his home on the grounds of the Naples Bath and Tennis Club. He and I talked several times after Bill moved to the Sunshine State, and it was clear from our chats that the outdoor life he and his wife Gay led suited him perfectly. He always sounded like a happy man.
Bill was a loyal alumnus and a regular attendant at Amherst functions both in Cleveland and in Florida. In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by a daughter Molly, a step-son Michael McComas, a step-daughter Cathy Owen, two grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and two step-great grandchildren.
Frederick Byrne ’40