Few men have dedicated as much time and effort into the success of Delta Xi as Bill. Perhaps remembered best for his weekend work projects at the chapter house, Bill always preferred a hands-on experience above all else. This was most evident during his tenure as House Corporation president from 1974 to 1979. One of the leading forces behind the early 70’s re-colonization effort, Bill personally made sure that the chapter house was kept up to a high standard of living. Whether it be enlisting the support of his wife to make the living room drapes or working with the undergrads to lay a brick driveway, he wasn’t satisfied if there were improvements to be made. More notably though, he did not leave the responsibility for house maintenance to the undergraduates alone. Rather, he strongly solicited his fellow House Corp. members to join the work weekends and stay actively involved with the chapter. He truly understood and openly endorsed the notion that the strongest fraternities have the strongest alumni support.
In the professional arena, Bill was a successful developer who was often most interested in the on-site subtleties of a project. He began his career after being plucked out of school during World War II by Kaiser to join an engineering team in their local shipyards. After returning to school, he eventually moved on to work with US Plywood where he directed several major projects. His most notable work includes the Tahoe Tavern in North Lake Tahoe and the Hiller Highlands development in the Berkeley hills.
Beyond Phi Gamma Delta, Bill was an active participant in the Boy Scouts of America. An Eagle Scout himself, Bill served on the local board of advisors for several years. His greater joy though, was as an active scoutmaster He proudly helped several members of his troop achieve Eagle status as well.
A loyal and dedicated Fiji, Bill is often said to have bled purple. He committed himself to volunteer service and always strove to promote the idea of “people helping people”. He is survived by his wife Winnie, with whom he had three sons: Patrick, Mike, and Tom and one daughter: Carol.
