William G. Lyles Jr. ’61

Billy died Nov. 15, 2020, in his native Charleston, S.C.

Born in Columbia, S.C., he came to Princeton from Hotchkiss School. He left Princeton after freshman year and ultimately graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Then followed an MBA from Harvard, after which he joined his father’s architectural and engineering firm, Lyles Bissett Carlisle & Wolff.

Billy was the first South Carolinian to be appointed to a major post by President Jimmy Carter when he became coordinator of the newly established Reimbursable Development Program of the Agency for International Development (AID). He served on the boards of Bank of Commerce, Southern Bank & Trust, and the South Carolina Real Estate Commission. Later he founded The Lyles Co., which pursued entrepreneurial endeavors.

Billy is survived by his children, Louise, Bill III, and Rowena Sutton; six grandchildren; and a brother. While we heard little from Billy over the years, we are told that “Big Billy” was a proud Princetonian who gave his grandchildren a Princeton T-shirt or sweatshirt every year.