William D. King ’56


William D. King ’56 died of congestive heart failure on February 5 following a heart attack and ensuing pneumonia. Bill was born and raised in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he attended local schools. Bill met Elizabeth “Betsy” Baxter, also of Northampton, before enrolling at Dartmouth and they were married in August 1956 before Bill started his postgraduate year in the Tuck-Thayer program. His M.S in engineering and business administration was granted in June 1957. Bill was an engineer in every sense of the word. He had a unique ability to sense and articulate the human implications of every issue he addressed. After starting with General Electric and a brief period with Transitron, Bill joined IBM. His IBM career saw steady advances in responsibility because of his interpersonal strengths and technical prowess. Bill and Betsy settled in East Fishkill, New York, when Bill became manager of strategic long-term planning at IBM East Fishkill. Bill retired from IBM in 1988. Bill and Betsy moved to Southbury, Connecticut, in 1999. He was always socially responsible and never hesitated to volunteer his organizational and interpersonal talents in his community of residence. In terms of political views Bill was a libertarian. Bill was learned, well read and politically astute. He prided himself on efficient and accurate communication as evidenced by his activity on the class listserv. Bill is survived by Betsy, daughters Kathy, Leslie and Sandy and granddaughter Jennifer. Donations may be made on his behalf to the American Heart Association to P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005.