Bill holds degrees in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College and Purdue University.  His careers in plant natural product research, food safety and clinical diagnostics provided experience with complex chemical instrumentation which directly translates to an understanding of modern computer-driven telescopes.  His astronomy interest dates from the age of five when his father dragged him out to observe the Perseid meteors.  Bill has lectured at Taylor Observatory on theories of the chemical origin of life on earth and on Near Earth Objects.   Bill served as president of Friends of Taylor from 2011 to 2022 with the goal to maintain a first-rate STEM resource for Lake County’s K-12 students through upgrades to Taylor’s physical building and telescope resources. As board president he planned and carried out approximately eighty Window to the Universe fund-raising programs, including a now yearly outreach program at the Clear Lake State Park.   Using funds from the Charles Neiman Trust, Bill and the FOTO BOD oversaw construction of the Nieman Star Deck and the FOTO Office and the purchase of an 18” Teeter Dobsonian telescope for observing Deep Sky Objects.  He established the FSTAR program for lending telescopes to qualified students.  With his FOTO group and community support Bill sought to establish Dark Sky Certification for Lake County both to maintain dark skies for future generations of students and to promote an astro-tourism industry for the county