Bill was among the first classmates I met at Texas Lutheran College (now University) in 1973, where we shared many good times. He was from the Baltimore area and then became a lawyer and judge in San Antonio following graduation. We kept in touch at least once a year and other times, when he would pledge on my KAOS radio show; he sent me a book on John Lennon not long ago and also gave me Neil Young's terrific 2012 release, Psychedelic Pill--Young was among Bill's favorite artists.
He was supportive of me when the only connection I had to being in radio was creating demo tapes, or just some for my own amusement (where I would record some songs and then my voice running over what was "played"--he did the same for me once). He was passionate about music, quite opinionated, giving (he didn't talk much about his legal work but I discovered that he represented those who couldn't afford an attorney), funny, stubborn and ridiculously smart. He was the first friend of mine who talked about the Miranda rule (which the Supreme Court decided was a constitutional law in 1966) yet he was more likely to put down Elton John's slurred singing, adding that the "dammit" Elton used in "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was gratuitous.
I suppose only his inner circle knew much about Bill's personal life--he didn't tell me a lot, and I respected that; it was easily discerned that he loved his family. I know he was a member of the watchdog, non-partisan group Common Cause. He was massively articulate on one level but his humor could be down to earth--seeing a cute woman on campus would get a, "just uh...yeah!" from either of us.
My favorite story about "The Bill" was when he was visiting me in the fall of 1976 and I'd just brought home Al Stewart's The Year of the Cat album. The title song was fast becoming a hit, but neither of us was completely familiar with it. The track played and there's that great guitar buildup in it that gives way to a surprising, almost searing (at first) saxophone solo. The very second that unexpected sax part began, Bill and I started cheering in unison. It was an unforgettable moment.
He was a dear friend I will truly miss.