Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Bill Ward

I was saddened to read this morning of the passing of William "Bill" Ward.  Longtime member of the Wesleyan faculty, Bill was Professor of Theater and Design from 1969 until his retirement in 1998.  Creative, quiet, responsive, and caring, he was a person one could talk to without feeling inferior. Bill really understood his craft and could communicate that knowledge in a succinct manner.  And he did impressive work for the various Wesleyan directors he worked with, from Ralph Pendleton to Fritz DeBoer to Bill Fransisco to Gay Smith and many others. Students had great respect for his understated style and he enjoyed teaching how to design and build sets.

According to the obituary printed in today's Middletown Press (read it here), there is no funeral service or calling hours planned. One expects there will be a Memorial Service at Wesleyan in the near future.

Our thoughts go out to his wife Mary, his daughters Jennifer, Karen and Laurie, and his 7 grandchildren. 

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