Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer Aug. 11, 2006, Bill Ragland died at home in Dallas Sept. 19, 2006.  

Bill came to Princeton from the Choate School. At 18, he was the youngest Tennessee amateur golf champion and later was inducted into Tennessee’s golf hall of fame. He was captain of the Princeton golf team senior year.  

Deeply involved in the Methodist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., he continued as a leader for the two years he lived in Dallas. Bill was among the most prominent civic leaders in Chattanooga, where he received the J.C. Penney Volunteer of the Year award. He established a highly successful scholarship program for underprivileged African-American girls at the Girls Preparatory School, some of whom completed university degrees. In the Book of our History, Bill began with this quotation from Matthew 25: “In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

While in Dallas, Bill was an active member of Highland Park United Methodist Church.  

He is survived by his wife, Susan; a son, William IV; three daughters, Julie, Becky, and Meg; stepdaughters Grace and Laura; a stepson, Ward; and 14 grandchildren. To them, the class extends its deepest sympathy.

Undergraduate Class of 1952