By Wil Shirey
I am so sad to learn of Mr. Bill Butler's death. He
was a wonderful human being!
He and I became friends over a two year period when
I was in college at Indiana State Teacher's College and I tendered him in the
summer when he was patching plaster in Clearfield Area Schools. We had a
wonderful time. I followed Joe Rohrbaugh as his helper.
I had been in his homeroom class as a senior and
had enjoyed his tutorials on the machines he was teaching his business students
how to use. Soon after that, computers became the standard and I'm sure he
adapted quickly. However, none will forget his coming out in the morning and
clapping his hands and saying "Let's move it along, folks!" and we all
did.
He grew up in the town of Indiana and his father
and brother had a plastering business there. When I was a student at what became
IUP, a law or ordinance was passed that required plastering the ceiling in the
furnace room. At that point, I was the house manager for my fraternity. I called
Mr Butler's father and explained who I was and what we needed done. As I recall
they did it for nothing or almost nothing.
Bill Butler projected the loving caring attributes
of his family. I only got the job because my father had served on the school
board for nearly 30 years. But because of Bill Butler, I loved every minute of
it and learned a lot. That first year I tried chewing Mail Pouch tobacco to keep
the plaster dust out of my mouth. The first day I nearly threw up. He said to
me, "How'd that tobacco go?" knowing full well how green I had been. I said,
"Not real great!" He replied, "I had a similar experience." I loved the
guy!!!
~ Wil Shirey
