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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Jul '92
William Clinton Powers No.15979 Class of 1946
Died 3 April 1978 In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, aged 51 years.
Interment: Washington Cemetery, Washington Pennsylvania. |
William Clinton Powers was born 24 January 1924 in Fredericktown,
Pennsylvania. Known as Bill to his family and friends, he spent
his youth in Fredericktown. At East Bethelehem High School there,
Bill participated in many school activities: editor of the school
newspaper and the yearbook, actor in school plays, Glee Club
and the band. Following graduation, Bill attended Washington
and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania before achieving
a lifelong ambition to attend West Point. Bill became a member
of the Class of 1946 on 1 July 1943.
A classmate and one of Bill's best friends, Jesse Cohen, recalled:
"We were both on a train heading for plebe year at West
Point. We had a few extra days before our due date for arrival
and even then Bill's mind was always working and planning. He
suggested that we should arrive a day early so that we could
meet some of the upperclassmen and hopefully arrange to room
together. This was probably one of the few times in Bill's life
that he made a bad estimate of the situation. We arrived a day
early, and, much to our chagrin, instead of being greeted the
way we expected, we were immediately assigned to carry footlockers
from the railroad station to the barracks for the arriving upperclassmen.
We made a decision at that time that never again would we be
early for a formation." Bill found cadet life quite a change
from college but managed to ride over the rough spots with a
winning personality and a determination to succeed, whatever
the obstacles. Academics kept Bill burning the midnight oil,
and Mechanics was almost his undoing. When asked about Bill Powers,
his classmates, almost to a man, remember one salient event in
his cadet life. A classmate, Pat Pendergrass recalled: "He
asked me if I wanted to trade a hop one night. 'Who are you dragging?
Shirley Temple.' Imagine my surprise and pleasure upon learning
that he actually was." Another classmate, George Hall, said:
"I recall that at one of our hops, Bill dragged Shirley
Temple, which probably made Bill the most cut-in cadet in West
Point history." Bill graduated as a second lieutenant in
the Infantry.
Following graduation, Bill attended the Basic Course at Fort
Benning, Georgia. While there, he met and married Joyce
Vincent on 25 January 1947 in Columbus, Georgia. From Fort Benning
the Powers' traveled to Japan, where Bill was assigned to the
1st Cavalry Division. Bill resigned his commission in early 1950,
returned to Pennsylvania and went into partnership in Powers
Chevrolet with his father. Eventually, Bill took over as owner
of the company. Bill's aunt, Dorothy Hughes, worked for him then
and recalled: "I enjoyed working for Bill. He took his work
very seriously and some of his West Point training was evident
in his organization. He demanded discipline and dedication from
his employees, but he also rewarded them with parties and dinners."
Bill went on to become the owner of Butler Motors in Butler,
Pennsylvania and then Powers Cadillac in Pittsburgh. During this
period, he became president of Penndale Corporation in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, and was instrumental in the early development of Fort
Lauderdale in the 1950s. In 1963, Bill entered the University
of Miami, Florida and received his Jurisprudence Doctorate in
1966. Expanding his horizons, Bill became president of Global
Development Company and in this capacity brought harness racing
to Western Pennsylvania. He owned Meadows Race Track in Washington,
Pennsylvania. Moving into the banking business, Bill expanded
the First National Bank of Washington, Pennsylvania from a small
town bank into a major bank holding company. He was CEO
and Chairman of the Board of First Dyna Corporation (National
Bank holding company). In March 1976, Bill suffered a stroke
and died in Fort Lauderdale on 4 April 1976. He is survived by
his wife, Joyce; two sons, William and Richard; a daughter, Barbara
and his parents.
His daughter Barbara recalled this about her father: "I
remember him as being an understanding disciplinarian, a striver
for success and yet quite a reserved man. The one thing that
sticks out in my mind is that he rarely gave his opinion unless
asked. He felt why waste his breath until someone was ready to
listen. My father was the most remarkable man I have ever known.
He was successful, yet always there for the people who had nowhere
else to turn. I am proud to be the daughter of William
C. Powers. My father brought an unforgettable amount of respect
and honor to the Powers family, which carries through to people
that I meet today."
His friend and classmate, Jesse Cohen, was asked to deliver
the eulogy at Bill's funeral:
"...All his endeavors were successful, but true success
is not measured only by the success of a company but by how the
success is achieved. No one was hurt, no one was pushed aside.
No enemies left behind, only friends. He achieved all of this
in his short life through his leadership ability and through
his innovative mind... He was genuinely interested in others
and subordinated his own interests to make sure that he heard
all that you had to say. There was no problem in communicating
with Bill. He heard you on a clear, simple one-to-one basis.
He understood what you said to him because he wanted to understand...
Bill had many qualities that I hold very special. He always lived
by the West Point creed, 'Duty, Honor, Country.' His relationship
with his family was exemplary; a marvelous and devoted husband,
father of three children he adored... Bill attracted hoards of
friends. His marvelous sense of humor, his constant smile. ...
Bill never forgot a classmate. He was always willing to help
or advise any classmate on business or personal matters, whether
it was a sacrifice of his personal time or not. And Bill did
give some marvelous advice to many of his classmates that proved
to be the stepping stones to their successful endeavors in their
respective fields... Although Bill is gone, to those of us who
knew and loved him and are assembled here today to pay our last
respects, he still lives on in the acts of goodness that he performed
and in the hearts of all who cherish his memory."
Jesse Cohen's tribute to William Clinton Powers expresses
the thoughts and remembrances of all who knew and loved him.
To those thoughts, the Class of 1946 can only add, "Well
Done, Bill; Be Thou At Peace"
Bill Powers' beloved Joyce died at Fort Lauderdale, Florida
in October 1990.
'46 Memorial Article
Project and his daughter, Barbara
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