Bill died Jan. 30, 2014, at Stonegates Health Facility in Greenville, Del. He was one of the more colorful members of the class.
Bill matriculated at Princeton in 1943 after graduating from Kent School. After attending Princeton for a term as a civilian and a term as a V-12 student, he joined the Navy. After his discharge, Bill returned to Princeton and graduated in 1949.
Bill’s studies at Harvard Law School were interrupted by service as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He graduated from Harvard in 1955 and joined his father’s firm. When Bill began there were only a handful of lawyers, but by 1993 the firm had grown considerably. He became a specialist in corporate-trial work. Before retiring in 2008 he was the senior partner at Prickett Jones & Elliott.
He was president of the Delaware State Bar Association in 1974 and was a member of the American Law Institute. He was a founding member of the Brandywine River Museum and the first president of the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Del. His recreational interests included music, writing, and travel. In mid-career Bill took a sabbatical in Switzerland.
He is survived by his wife, Caroline; three children; and five grandchildren. His sister, Elise Prickett Deans, and his brother, Harry, predeceased him.