Dean Bill to Retire June 30
AFTER A DISTINGUISHED career as teacher and administrator which covered 39 years, 35 of them at Dartmouth, E. Gordon Bill 'aoh, Dean of the Faculty, will retire as of June 30. Due to continued ill health which has kept him from his duties for a year and a half, Dean Bill tendered his resignation last month.
A native of Nova Scotia where his family has been connected with the political life of Canada for several generations, Dean Bill is a graduate of Acadia University, Nova Scotia, in 1903. In addition he holds the A.B. degree from Yale in 1905, as well as the A.M. in 1906 and the Ph.D. in 1908. Acadia honored him with the Doctor of Civil Laws degree in 1935, and Dartmouth conferred the Master's degree upon him in 1920.
Dean Bill first joined the Dartmouth faculty in 1912 as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics and in 1920 was promoted to a full professorship. Prior to this he had been an instructor in mathematics for two years at Yale and for a like period at Purdue.
In 1921 when the Trustees created the new dual position of Dean of Freshmen and Director of Admissions, Dean Bill became the first holder of that office, while retaining, as he still does, the title of Professor of Mathematics. He put into operation the Selective Process of Admission and again pioneered a new position when the Trustees in 1933 created the office of Dean of the Faculty.
As head of the Dartmouth faculty during the past 14 years, Dean Bill has done a great deal to strengthen and develop both teaching and the curriculum in the College. The faculty has grown steadily during that period, and as a member of the Committee on Educational Policy he has been a vital proponent of interdepartmental courses and majors. Dean Bill takes special pride in what he terms "Bill's Frills" the extracurricular education provided by the Student Workshop, the College Naturalist, Ross McKenney of the DOC, and such programs.
During World War I, Dean Bill was on leave of absence to serve successively as statistician, assistant director and acting director of the Military Service Branch of the Department of Justice of the Dominion of Canada, Ottawa, which placed him in charge of the draft. When this period of government service was concluded he wrote the official history of the Canadian Selective Service Act.
In addition to being a top-notch teacher and administrator, Dean Bill excels in a wide variety of hobbies and sports. A great bird lover, he spent many hours in his younger days tramping the woods about Hanover, observing and photographing birds. He is easily recognized as the best contract bridge player in Hanover, and his garden is the envy of local horticulturists. In his younger days before gout stopped him, he was an enthusiastic golfer, and, for a time, he introduced the ancient Scottish sport of curling to the Hanover winter scene. Early in his youth he developed a great love for trout fishing and harness racing when he was growing up on his father's huge farm at Billtown, Nova Scotia, and he has never lost his interest in either sport.
DEAN E. GORDON BILL OFFICIATING AT COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES IN THE BEMA
