Just thought I’d stick my nose in here again to say how sorry I was to hear of Bill’s passing. Like most others here, we shared many fine and quirky moments over the years at AWAD and in emails.

We often chatted about words flying around the margins of chat here on the board, with Bill’s inimitable point of view given blush-free rein – for example about ‘haptic’:
Dear Mav: when I found this was medical word for
touching, I had a hunch there might be a word for
forbidden touching. After several wrong guesses,
I found it. 'Haptosis' = non-consensual sexual touching'.
Had some fun with Father Steve about that. "Reach out
and touch someone....
My vision is so bad I can
read only a couple short posts. Sob,sob! Bill

A typical quip was:
Time wounds all heels.

At one depressed point around July 05 he wrote:
… What cannot be cured must
be endured. An enlightend govt. ought to send everybody
my age a small cylinder of carbon monoxide gas and
a large plastic bag. If I had one, I'd use it.
They also serve who only stand and wait. Bullshit. Bill

But only a little later he was bouncing back and wrote:
Dear Mav: the asshole who sent you that PM about
CO in plastic bag doesn't live here any more.
Met a beautiful bright babe here young enought to
be his daughter, and is having so many laughs
he hopes to live to be 100.Bill

Perhaps it may provide some small solace to those nearest to him who miss him most just now to know that in this brave new electronic world he was able to reach out and touch the lives of many friends around the world.

We join with you now in raising a fond cheer to Dr Bill – rage, rage against the dyeing of the light.