In Memory

William C 'Bill' Brooks - Class Of 1949

William C 'Bill' Brooks

William (Bill) Charles Brooks passed away December 12, 2021, at the age of 90 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Born on May 29, 1931, in Denver, Colorado, Bill grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah before moving with his family to Los Angeles as a teenager. Following graduation from South Pasadena High School, Bill enlisted in the Navy for two years and was assigned to the 'Queen Fish' submarine stationed at Pearl Harbor. After his stint in the Navy, Bill enrolled in Menlo College transferring his junior year to Stanford University where he earned a BA in American History in 1956, and an MBA from Stanford in 1958. Bill's professional work included banking careers in London and Los Angeles. He retired from Credit Suisse bank in 1995.

Bill was an outdoors enthusiast, an avid hiker and climber. He liked to climb in the High Sierras in California and climbed the Matterhorn in Switzerland. He enjoyed swimming, reading and classical music. He was an avid horseman.

During summers at Stanford, Bill worked as a camp counselor for The Orme School, a unique college-preparatory, co-educational boarding and day school for grades 8 - 12, set on 300 acres in rural Arizona. Throughout Bill's life, he would return to The Orme School as a participant in the yearly Los Vaqueros horseback ride and experience, once again, his love of horses and the great outdoors. This life-enhancing experience prompted Bill and his late wife, Phyllis to move to Arizona from California in 2000, settling in Scottsdale.

In 2010, Bill married Elizabeth Holman. They traveled the world together enjoying new experiences and different cultures. Bill is survived by his wife, Liz, and five stepchildren, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and five nieces.

The Arizona Republic, December 28, 2021