William, who went by Bill, was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky with his parents and his younger brother and sister. He lived many of his adult years in Hunterdon County, New Jersey with his wife and his daughter. After the passing of his wife in 2012, he retired and moved to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia to be near his daughter and grand dog.
After graduating high school, Bill attended The University of Michigan and obtained his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. He then joined the Army and fought in Vietnam. He completed Airborne training and was a first lieutenant in Company D, 5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry (Airmobile), 1st Cavalry Division. He earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star for Heroism, a Bronze Star with Oak Leaf for Meritorious Achievement, an Air Medal, and a Combat Infantry Badge. When interviewed by his daughter for a class assignment in 2000, Bill shared that the lessons he learned while in the Army are that “all people are basically good, including yourself, no matter their background, AND the guy on the other side in your sights is also basically good. You can tell from the family photos carried in his wallet.” He then added that he developed “a deep appreciation for the fact that I was fortunate enough to have been born and raised in a free and prosperous country.”
After being honorably discharged, Bill returned to The University of Michigan and earned his Master of Science in Engineering and PhD in Chemical Engineering. At one of his first jobs as a chemist, he met his future wife, an outspoken biologist. One bad movie and dinner at Arby’s was all it took for the spell to be cast. They spent the next forty one years creating and building a happy life together.
As a chemical engineer, Bill had many roles and accomplishments over the years including obtaining several patents, having articles published, traveling all over the US and the world, and setting up company labs in Belgium and Australia. Though his later career was in more administrative leadership and managerial roles, his heart would always remain in the lab. There would rarely be a time when the basement or garage wouldn’t be home to his weekend projects or experiments; something he started in childhood. His mother once shared a story of how she was in the kitchen when she heard a loud noise, and Bill came bursting through the basement door with smoke pouring out around him and smudges on his face after one of his failed experiments as a twelve year old. He was always curious, questioning, and learning. He would read four or five nonfiction books at once usually on math, astronomy, chemistry, physics, and philosophy (with a sci-fi novel thrown in every once in a while). He also enjoyed learning about technology and computers, and described the purchase of his first computer, an Apple IIe, as love at first sight. His reading and learning would often be accompanied by classical music or his own humming and singing of a few lines of whatever song or phrase was in his head at the moment. It’s these song lyrics and phrases that are forever captured in his family’s minds, like little time capsules forming a soundtrack from different periods of life.
Bill’s love of astronomy began in childhood when he got his first DIY telescope kit and binoculars. Through the years this passion would grow, particularly once he retired. He would spend many a night looking up at the sky through one of his three telescopes, trying out new lenses, tools, and programs. He even dipped his toe into astrophotography and successfully captured Jupiter and its rings. After retirement, Bill expanded his hobbies to include gardening, sewing, cooking, and playing the pan flute. He had a special bond with his grand dog Piper who would often “sing” when he played the pan flute, and happily wore the Halloween costumes he sewed for her. Bill, his daughter, and Piper loved their many trips and adventures to the beach, cabin, and star parties.
A few quotes meaningful to Bill:
• “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” -- Dalai Lama
• “Thirty spokes converge at the wheel’s hub, to a hole that allows it to turn. Clay is shaped into a vessel, to enclose an emptiness that can be filled. Doors and windows are cut into walls, to provide access to their protection. Though we can only work with what is there, use comes from what is not there.“ -- Lao Tzu (Bill’s additional note: from page 19 of “The Incomplete Nature” by Terrence W. Deacon: the absential property- the concept of “zero” is somewhat analogous.)
• “A mathematician is a
Blind man in a dark room
Looking for a black cat
Which isn’t there.” -- Charles Darwin
• “If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.” -- Phillip K. Dick
• “I don’t mind not knowing. It doesn’t scare me.” -- Richard Feynman, Physicist
• “The answer to the question, ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’ will simply be; ‘There won’t be for long.’” -- Lawrence M. Krauss, Cosmologist
• “MAN
Is a Carbon-Based Biped
….is a differentiated clone of nucleated cells…AND… his body consists largely of microbes…
Atomically … contains elements like carbon and oxygen…FROM…distant stars…
Spiritually … seems to be a slice of the eternal ‘I am’, temporarily hallucinating the reality of being separate from others.”
-- Citations: Arthur C. Clarke—Greetings Carbon-Based Bipeds. Dorion Sagan—Cosmic Apprentice
Bill got along with everyone. He was open minded and caring, seeing the good in others and giving them the benefit of the doubt. He was always loving, always kind, a gentle spirit, a supportive presence that will forever be missed.
Here’s to clear skies, dad, brother, Bill. We’ll be looking for you amongst the stars.
