Norwich University

William A. SHepard has had a lifelong association with Norwich University that goes well beyond his years in the classroom and on the playing field. His athletic endeavors included leading roles on the track team and the rifle team and three years as an offensive and defensive back on the Cadet football team. His most memorable gridiron performance is his 60-minute iron-man effort in NU's first contest with the Coast Guard, a 7-0 Cadet win. On campus, Bill was a member of the SAE Fraternity and the "N" Club.
Bill joined the Vermont National Guard while at Norwich and later served as a captain at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, returning to his native Montpelier in 1946. He remained active in the Guard until 1961, retiring as a major. Bill began his professional career with National Life of Vermont, serving int hte Utica office for several years and playing semi-pro football in the Utica area. He married the late Jane Miller in 139, and they had a daughter, Sally (Shepard) Longi. 
After a brief stint in the insurance business in Montpelier, Bill accepted employment with the State of Vermont. Working in the Treasurer's Department, he was instrumental in establishing a retirement plan for the teachers of Vermont and was later appointed Finance Director by Gov. Robert Stafford. He concluded his career with the state as a member of the Vermont Highway Department, serving as the State Liaison Office on the construction of I-89. 
Bill's community service includes serving as a vestryman at the Anglican Incarnate Church and as a member of the Elks Club, where he was involved in the purchase and renovation of the Montpelier Country Club. Bill also co-authored (with Vermont College Librarian Deborah Sessions) an early history of Vermont College, entitled The Hospital That Became a College. 
A tireless worker for Norwich University, Bill has been president of hte Ventral Vermont Alumni Club and chairman of the Friends of the Library at Norwich. He was also a member of the Board of Fellows for six years and a recipient of that group's Outstanding Service Medallion. A devoted Civil War buff, Bill has presented a vast store of books on the subject and others to the Norwich libraries in Northfield and Montpelier, where he currently resides.