William C. Pryor ’54

William C. Pryor ’54 died on November 19, 2020, at an assisted-living facility in Silver Spring, Maryland. Bill was born in Washington, D.C., where he attended segregated public schools before completing high school at Northfield Mount Hermon. After graduation from Dartmouth, where he played basketball and tennis, he served two years in the Army and then earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School in 1959. He later earned an L.L.M. from the University of Virginia Law School. He worked in the U.S. Department of Justice, private practice, and as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1968 President Lyndon Johnson nominated Bill to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In 1984 he was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to be chief judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. From 1988 until 2019 he was senior judge of the court. On his retirement a Washington Post article credited Bill “with a calm and mannerly personality that helped create harmony in the dual and appellate trial court system.” In 2019, when he fully retired, the chief judge said that Bill was “a beloved friend and colleague to me and so many judges, law clerks, and staff at court. He always had a kind word and always took time to listen and to mentor others.” Bill is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elaine, two sons, and four grandchildren.