from Colin R.

June 9, 2010

My conversation with Bill on the phone yesterday captures one of the roles he’s played in my life. He’s a warm, thoughtful Godfather who always makes me laugh—no matter how corny the joke. After Sandie handed Bill the phone, we went through the normal pleasantries and then Bill launched into an Op-Ed column that he’d mentally written for me about how I should act during the first few months of my new job. His first piece of advice—something Bill’s prone to give even if it’s unsolicited—was, “If you see someone that needs help, don’t ask if you can help them, just go ahead and do it.” This was probably the 50th time I’ve heard this maxim of Bill’s, but it’s one of many sage recommendations that has helped shape my personality over the years. Whether walking together on Caswell Beach, hiking alongside Seth’s Boy Scout Troop, or driving to out to his land in the mountains, Bill’s never been shy about expressing his opinion on how I should take my next steps. The truth is, he’s almost always right and I’ve been lucky to have the Bill-gnat in my ear at times when “cheerful service” was needed. Now that Bill’s retired, he’ll have time to turn his Op-Ed’s into an advice magazine. I might sound a little flippant when describing Bill’s counsel, but that’s just to get under his skin a bit. He knows that half of the time, I am the one calling him to ask how I should phrase the last line of a poem or how to prevent the common cold (salt-water nose-rinsing was his latest answer).

One thing Bill better include in his retirement magazine is a humor section, which leads me to the “funny” bit he graced me with in our last conversation. “In your new position,” he said, “you’ll have to think inside and outside of the box. Only a cat can’t go outside of the box.”

Cue the “wa-wa” on his harmonica.

-Colin