William Green Foulke ’34

Bill Foulke, cited in 1971, when he won our Award for Outstanding Achievement as “one of Philadelphia’s most influential and honored citizens,” died March 30, 2007, at home. He was 94.

Former chairman of Provident National Bank (a predecessor of PNC Bank) in Philadelphia, Bill also was a director of the Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co., The (Philadelphia) Bulletin Co., the Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co., and several family-owned companies. He served on the boards of the Pennsylvania Hospital, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Old Philadelphia Development Corp. and University City Science Center, among others.

Bill was one of the first in our class to marry, in November 1934, having courted Louisa Lawrence Wood during his college years. (Still, he was captain of both tennis and squash and, in 1933, intercollegiate squash champion.)

In 1993 he and Louisa had a serious auto accident in which both broke their necks, but “nearly recovered,” as Bill wrote about a year later. He went on, “We enjoy life and have no trouble filling our days with love and laughter and fascinating things to do.” Louisa died in 2001.

Surviving are a daughter, Louisa Newlin; two sons, Walter and William Jr.; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Bill’s brother, Pardee Foulke ’29, known as “Zeke,” died in 1974.