In Memoriam - William Ferguson III
The Milford Rotary Club lost a dear friend and longtime member on June 18th with the passing of William Ferguson III. Bill, or "Fergie" as he was affectionately known, joined the Milford Rotary Club in 1952 at the behest of his brother-in-law William B. Rotch who was a charter member of the club. A Paul Harris Fellow, Bill was president of the club from 1960-1961. His dedication to community service is exemplified by his instrumental roles in the planning and construction of the Keyes Memorial Pool and as a founding member of the Souhegan Valley Land Trust.
Bill's official club biography starts off with this quip - "We don't know if there is any truth to the rumor that when Bill was born he asked if he could say a few words." Although he was in the insurance business for a period of time, Fergie probably will be best remembered as the cub reporter for the Milford Cabinet and Wilton Journal turned columnist, freelance writer and magazine editor. For many years he wrote and edited the club's Rotary Roundup newsletter. His moniker in the Cabinet was "Rambling Reporter". Some might say that the "rambling" part could equally describe his love of good storytelling and his passion for traveling. Certainly the Rotary Classification of "Literature and Prose" was aptly assigned.
A Massachusetts native by birth and a World War II veteran, Bill found his way to Milford in the 1940's by-way of his wife Helen's roots in our community. To borrow from one of Bill's trademark lines - I think I heard the Lady at the Post Office say that Bill Ferguson was a Milford native even though he wasn't born or raised here.
Click here to view the full obituary.
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Bill, in the stripped shirt, sharing laughs and stories with Owen Fisk and John Bilodeau at Ted Langdell Day 1995. |
One more Fergie tale......In addition to being a dedicated member of the Milford Rotary Club, Bill was a loyal member of the Crab Club. There is some debate on whether his group is the Crab Club or the Junior Crab Club but none the less they are all still "Crabs". Over the years many Rotarians have been members of this fraternal morning and/or afternoon coffee clutch. Pictured below is the 1996 contingent along with an ode to the "Crabs" penned by Bill. Pictured - standing are Bill Ferguson on the left and Stan Kankowski; seated from the left are Bill Rotch, Mario Infanti, Dick D'Amato, Mel Reever, Owen Fisk and Francis Perry. Sounds like a Rotary Club make-up meeting!
