Bill Rudell died Nov. 20, 2008, in Burbank, Calif., of heart disease.
He came to Princeton from Burbank High School, where he was student body president and senior class president. He also was an Eagle Scout. At Princeton, he attended the Woodrow Wilson School, ate at Cap, and was involved in many campus organizations. He roomed with Jim Lane, George Gray, Frank Alexander, Dick Niner, Paul Rubincam, Justin Kimball, John McConnell, and Hunter Platt.
After graduating from Yale Law School, Bill went to Botswana with the Ford Foundation Africa-Asia program, beginning a lifelong relationship. In 1971 he was appointed Botswana’s first “consul anyplace in the world,” and in 2007 he was presented with the Presidential Award for Meritorious Service.
Following a stint with the family business in New York, Bill returned to California to practice law. In 1975 he became mayor of Burbank and subsequently served as city attorney and airport authority chairman, during which time he led the creation of today’s Burbank Airport. His service to the city was so exemplary that the street where he lived was renamed Rudell Road. A Burbank Kiwanian for 35 years, he served as president from 1974 to 1975.
He is survived by Jacquie, his wife of 22 years; three stepchildren; and seven grandchildren. We join them in mourning his passing.