William G. Ridgeway ’57

Bill knew from second grade that he wanted to become a doctor. He knew from 10th grade that he would become a doctor. He did, practicing as an ophthalmologist until age 75.  

Bill was valedictorian of his high school class in Boone County in central Missouri, where his family had settled before it was named that. At Princeton Bill worked two years in Commons as a waiter and two more as a captain while holding other campus jobs. His club was Campus. Next came the Missouri School of Medicine, followed by Duke, where he performed his internship; the Air Force, where he was a flight surgeon; and an internship at Washington University in St. Louis. He practiced in South St. Louis, an area of ethnic neighborhoods that fascinated him.  

He retired in 2009, having worked 67 years, first delivering newspapers at age 8. He enjoyed listening on the radio to Cardinals’ games, playing golf, and skiing until his health began to break down. Eye impairment, ironically, left him unable to see a new grandson.  

He enrolled himself in a care facility, where on April 24, 2020, he died of COVID-19. He leaves his widow, Karen, whom he married in 1975; a son; daughter-in-law; and three grandchildren. He considered his family a legacy for the world.