Deceased October 3, 2020
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In Memory
Bill is well-remembered for his lifelong love of history and literature, passion for world travel and appreciation for creativity and wordplay.
A history major at Amherst, he was active with Chi Phi and as manager of squash and tennis. His roommate for two years, George Gates ’53, writes, “He was a great friend with an always welcome sense of humor, especially when dealing with absurdities, always free to tease each other.” Providing rides to Mount Holyoke for dates, Bill also made whiskey sours and did Churchill imitations.
After serving in Korea with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, he completed a master’s of business science at Boston University and began a long career in public relations and community affairs with U.S. Steel, taking his family to Pittsburgh and Yardley, Pa., and to Gary and Valparaiso, Ind. Active in Rotary International and as a United Way and Red Cross volunteer, Bill also served as 1953’s class secretary and agent.
Bill met his wife, Jean Hauser, shipboard on a transatlantic crossing while both were headed for European tours. Married in 1958, they embraced a lifetime of travel. He delighted in creating elaborate holiday scavenger hunts, revealing the itinerary for another trip to travel the globe. Family vacations were also as much about exploration as relaxation, from camping in Maine to cross-country road trips to natural wonders and historic places.
In retirement, Bill and Jean moved to the warmth of Ashland, Va., and its historic sites. After Jean’s passing in 2015, Bill returned to Amherst, close to his son, Stephen ’84. There, Bill enjoyed local drives, reading poetry aloud (Wordsworth’s “Daffodils,” Robert Frost) and singing songs from days past.
Bill died in Amherst on Oct. 3, 2020, leaving a sister, Elizabeth; daughter Sarah; son Stephen ’84; wife Marla; daughter Susan and her husband, P.J.; and five grandchildren.
Marla Miller and Stephen Peck ’84 with help from George Gates ’53 and editing by George Edmonds ’53