Published in Gold Country Media Newspapers on May 27, 2011
William
North
Jr.
7/31/1918
-
5/23/2011
William
McKinley
North
Jr.,
passed
away
Monday,
May
23,
2011,
he
was
92.
William
was
born
July
31,
1918
in
Mitchell
South
Dakota,
the
only
child
of
Melissa
E.
North,
and
William
M.
North
Sr.
In
1924
William
and
his
family
moved
to
Pipestone,
Minnesota
where
he
joined
the
Boy
Scouts
and
worked
summers
as a
lifeguard.
In
high
school
he
participated
in
drama,
debate,
and
football;
he
became
an
Eagle
Scout
in
1934.
He
entered
the
University
of
South
Dakota
in
1937.
He
majored
in
history,
became
a
columnist
for
the
College
newspaper,
and
joined
Army
ROTC.
William
began
Law
School
in
1939.
In
1941
he
met
Janet
Speelman,
whom
he
married
in
1942.
After
graduation
from
college
he
attended
Infantry
school,
and
Desert
Training.
In
1944
he
was
assigned
Commander
of
Company
K,
260th
Infantry,
65th
Division.
He
was
sent
to
France
on
Christmas
Day
1944
where
the
65th
Division
was
assigned
to
Patton's
Third
Army.
He
commanded
his
division
from
the
battle
of
Saarlautern,
through
the
Rhineland
campaigns,
eventually
ending
the
war
on
the
Austrian
Czechoslovakian
border.
He
was
awarded
the
Purple
Heart,
The
Combat
Infantryman's
Badge,
and
the
Bronze
Star
for
Valor
in
leading
the
attack
on
Regensberg.
William
remained
in
the
Active
Reserve
where
he
was
promoted
to
Lt.
Colonel
in
1959.
After
the
war
William
began
his
legal
career
with
the
Department
of
Justice
in
Washington
D.C.
In
1950
he
was
admitted
to
practice
to
the
Supreme
Court
of
the
United
States.
In
1954
he
rose
to
chief
counsel
of
the
Caribbean
Area
with
the
Housing
and
Home
Finance
Agency
in
San
Juan
Porto
Rico.
In
1957
he
was
assigned
to
the
San
Francisco
HHFA
office,
where
he
remained
for
24
years
obtaining
the
rank
of
Regional
Counsel
for
the
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development.
William
and
Janet's
son
Stephen
was
born
in
1960.
William
participated
in
large
numbers
of
renewal
projects
in
Arizona,
California,
Hawaii,
Nevada,
and
Washington.
He
was
particularly
involved
in
San
Francisco's
Yerba
Buena
Center
and
the
expansion
of
the
University
of
California's
Hastings
College
of
Law.
During
his
career
with
the
federal
government
he
was
the
recipient
of
many
awards
and
commendations,
including
a
Presidential
Citation
for
Merit,
Commendation
in
The
Congressional
Record,
listing
in
Who's
Who
in
Government,
and
a
1979
interview
with
U.S.
News
&
World
Report.
William
served
as
Scoutmaster
of
Hillsborough's
Troop
92.
In
1980
he
retired
from
the
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development
and
joined
the
faculty
at
the
College
of
San
Mateo
where
he
taught
courses
in
real
estate,
finance,
and
appraisal.
In
1988
Janet
and
Bill
moved
to
Auburn,
Calif.
where
they
purchased
and
restored
the
Birdsall
home
in
Aeolia
Heights.
Over
the
past
20
years
William
and
Janet
opened
the
Birdsall
home
to
countless
civic
events
including
fund
raisers,
symphony
recitals,
Chamber
of
Commerce
events,
and
Leadership
Auburn.
Janet
North
died
in
September
of
2010.
William
is
survived
by
his
son
Stephen
M.
North,
his
daughter-in-law
Suzanne
North,
and
his
grandchildren
Ian
and
Katie
North.
A
funeral
service
will
take
place
on
Saturday,
May
28,
2011
at
10
a.m.
at
the
New
Auburn
Cemetery,
1040
Collins
Drive,
Auburn,
Calif.
Published
in
Gold
Country
Media
Newspapers
on
May
27,
2011
