William B. Austin Jr. ’54

Bill died Nov. 27, 2014, from congestive heart failure, surrounded by his family.

Born in Upper Darby, Pa., Bill grew up in Ridgewood, N.J., and graduated from Ridgewood High School. At Princeton, he was an economics major and a member of Cloister Inn.

After graduation, he served as a first lieutenant in the Army in Germany. After his discharge in 1956, he started his career in New York City in a bank training program. He was soon appointed vice president of Bankers Trust Co., where he worked until 1974.

He became president of South Shore Bank in Quincy, Mass., in 1975 and continued there until 1997. He was a managing agent at the Resolution Trust Corp. from 1989 to 1994. Bill served on many boards, including the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, Quincy Neighborhood Housing, Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance, and Thayer Academy. He was an active member of the Episcopal parish of St. John the Evangelist and served on the vestry.

Bill was an amateur historian and geologist, a lover of bad puns, and an avid golfer. The   class is honored by his service to our country and extends condolences to his wife, Donna; son Bennett; daughters Abby and Amy; and seven grandchildren.