William J. Gies II ’57

 Always expressing gratitude for his college education and his classmate friends, Bill died Feb. 8, 2024, in California.

He came to Princeton from the Haverford School in his native Pennsylvania. He double-majored in sociology and economics, joined Cap & Gown Club, and was chairman of WPRB, where he displayed his wicked sense of humor on a morning show called “Strictly for the Birds.” In 1956, Jimmy Stewart ’32 visited the station and gladly became a guest on Bill’s show. Bill was also a member of the Undergraduate Council, the 21 Club, the Bridge Club, and served as a Keyceptor. His senior-year roommates were Steve Gregory, Lynn Hall, Hugh Madden, Jim Newcomer, Tony Piel ’58, and Ed Williams.

After college, Bill married University of California graduate Rosalind G. Rea, whom he met while both were obtaining MBAs at Harvard Business School. Prior to attending Harvard, he worked briefly for Scott Paper Co. and served six months of active duty with the Army. He continued in the Army Reserve for five years, attaining the rank of sergeant. During this period Bill worked at Sumner Co. in South Carolina, then renewed his interest in radio by joining his father-in-law’s station, KUDU, in California.

Returning to Pennsylvania, Bill became chairman and then owner of Penn Fibre Co. in Philadelphia. He sold that business and became a conservation-minded real estate developer in Lake Cathance, Maine, where he also owned a vacation home. After a divorce he married Ann Behr. They spent time at their homes in Pennsylvania, Maine, and South Carolina before moving to California to be near his two daughters.

Bill was preceded in death by his son, James Gies II, and is survived by his wife and his daughters, Marjorie ’85 and Catherine.