North America

I grew up in Percy Main and attended Tynemouth High School.

I worked for Welwyn Electric from 1955-58 as a student apprentice. I attended King's College from 1958-65, eventually earning a PhD in electrical engineering.

I then worked for Electrosil, based in London, from 1965-67 before returning to Newcastle University as a senior research associate.

In 1968, I became a lecturer in electronic engineering at Hull University before emigrating to the USA in 1978.

Bill with his daughter and grandsons

Met wife

I joined Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) as an associate professor of electrical engineering in August 1978.

After becoming a professor in 1983, I continued teaching and research until being appointed department head in 1990.

In 1994, I became Dean of the College of Engineering. This is one of the largest engineering colleges in the USA with 5,000 undergraduates, 1,500 postgraduates and 330 faculty.

I retired in 2002 as the Hugh P. and Ethel C. Kelly Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dean of Engineering Emeritus. In 2006, I received a DSc from the University of Newcastle.

I met my wife, Sally Smith, in Munich in 1966 and we were married in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, in January 1968.

Sally was an English major with a BA from Smith College. In 1984, she obtained an MA from Virginia Tech.

Regrettably, she died in March 2005 after 37 wonderful years of marriage. We had one child, a daughter, who now lives with her husband and three children in San Antonio, Texas.

Blacksburg is a beautiful town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

It is dominated by Virginia Tech and its 25,000 students. Regrettably, the April 2007 campus shootings brought us worldwide attention we did not seek. Indeed, my old office was in the building that housed the majority of the shootings.

I live on a golf course and spend lots of time seeking my ball in the rough. I am an avid Newcastle United fan and am able to see quite a few of their matches via satellite.

Unfortunately, I witnessed the recent fiasco against Portsmouth. To make matters worse, one of my close friends in Blacksburg is a raving Portsmouth native. The loss cost me a bottle of wine!

Organising reunion

I also subscribe to the Newcastle United website so I can get radio commentary of matches that are not televised, and video highlights a day or so later. I get back to Newcastle every year and watch the lads whenever possible.

I was an only child but still have several cousins in the North East. I also have lots of college friends in Newcastle and around England and the world.

I am currently organising an electrical engineering class of 1961 reunion to be held at the university on October 9-10 2008. This will mark 50 years since our class members became students.

We have a website accessible from the university's website and are still seeking eight of the original 35 class members. We have tentative commitments to attend from 20, plus the remaining four lecturers who taught us.

I will always be a Geordie at heart and love visiting HOME whenever possible. Howay the Lads!