William Neal McFaul III was born in Baltimore, MD, to William and Grace McFaul on Dec 2, 1937. Growing up and attending school in Baltimore, Bill excelled at lacrosse. A grade school, high school, and West Point teammate, Bob Miser, recalls squeezing through a culvert with Bill on Sunday mornings to take advantage of the Johns Hopkins practice field to hone their lacrosse skills. They took turns being goalie, a position Bill played at West Point. He con­tinued with the sport for his first two years at the Academy. He also enjoyed being in the chapel choir for all four years. He was one of those fortunate cadets for whom the academic departments held no terror and was known for helping classmates avoid the clutches of turnout exams.

Ten days after graduation he married his high school sweetheart, Iris Windsor. As a matter of fact, Bob Miser remembers Bill carrying a three-ring binder in grade school with the name “Iris” emblazoned in bold letters across the front of the note­book. Bill started out in the Artillery, and he and Iris enjoyed their first three-year tour in Heidelberg, Germany. Their first daughter, Lyn, was born at Ft. Benning, GA, and their second, Lee, was born in Heidelberg two years later. Upon return­ing to the United States, Bill transferred to the Ordnance Corps and graduated from Ordnance school in 1965. He earned a master’s degree in engineering at Arizona State University before heading to Korea as the commander of an ordnance company. For the next three years he was the execu­tive officer for the Sheridan Project and was assigned as an advisor in the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam during 1970 and 1971. He came back with a pair of Bronze Stars. It was there, in his words, that “My good leg ran into a little trouble.” His final tour was on the faculty at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, after which he took a disability retirement as a major in 1973.

After leaving the Army, he chose local government as a second career and earned a master of public administration degree from Southern California. In 1974 he went to work as the director of planning for Bel Air, a town of 10,000 just north of his old Baltimore stomping grounds. Once they settled in Bel Air, Iris became very suc­cessful in real estate. Lyn graduated from the University of Delaware and became a Registered Dietician. She has two daughters. Lee graduated from Harford Community College and became a Registered Nurse. She has a son and a daughter.

After five years Bill became the town manager and remained so for nearly two decades. He really enjoyed the job. It had its crises and struggles, but he derived great satisfaction in seeing the fruits of his la­bors. The local newspaper, when reporting his death due to complications after heart bypass surgery, had a number of glowing testimonials to his character: “He looked after the affairs of the town as if they were his own business” and “He was a gentle­man who always did things the right way.” From all accounts he was a financial bless­ing to the town. “Because of Bill’s work, Bel Air just ticks like a clock, financially.” A fellow town manager from Aberdeen said, “Understanding the nature of public management, he knew how to approach situations, handle the nuances of processes and personalities, and get the desired results without a lot of fanfare or extraneous production...His leadership qualities shone forth in his unassuming manner and yet it was obvious that Bill was in charge.”

On Sep 26, 2002, Bel Air held a grand opening and dedication of the William N. McFaul Activity Center. It provides space and facilities for the Parks and Recreation Department, the Senior Activity Center, as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Harford County. In addition, the large recreational athletic fields in Bel Air are now named the William N. McFaul Recreation Fields. All four of his grandchildren played soccer and/or lacrosse on those very fields, and they took great and understandable pride in tell­ing folks, “That’s my grandfather!”

Wherever he went, Bill was a stalwart, contributing member of his community. His wonderful family is another telling tes­tament to his character. Well done, Bill. Be thou at peace.

—Iris McFaul & classmates