On January 8, 2017, William Edward Glennon J.D. ’66 passed away. He was born Guillermo Gonzalez on January 20, 1918 in St. Louis, Missouri to Spanish immigrants Jesus Gonzalez and Maria Alvarez. Bill developed an early love of soccer and played with the St. Louis Nationals who won the U.S. Amateur title in 1939. In 1940, Bill joined the United States Navy and served on the battleship New Mexico on the West Coast and was later the head signalman on the island of Espiritu Santo in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war, Bill found himself back in San Francisco, California where he continued his courtship of Sue Raney. The two married on November 24, 1945 and remained married for 71 years until his death.
After a brief time in St. Louis, the couple relocated to Saratoga, California. Bill helped organize the city’s incorporation and served eight years as its second mayor. During his tenure as mayor, he helped establish Hakone Gardens. Bill also ran two paper box companies: San Jose Paper Box and Laminated Paper Products. He helped organize and became the first President of the Santa Clara County Inter City Council, which LAFCO later replaced. In 1966, Bill received his Doctorate in Law from Santa Clara Law School and worked as a business and estate lawyer first with the firm of Rae, Frasse, Anastasi, Clark and Lewis, and later Clark and Glennon. He practiced law for 27 years and Santa Clara County named him Lawyer of the Year in 1984. Always surrounded by books, and passionate about education and helping others, he established The Glennon Foundation which provided monetary support to hundreds of young dreamers wanting a college education.
In retirement, he and Susie traveled extensively, visiting every continent except Australia, while also spending time at their second home in Palm Desert, California. Bill was an avid golfer his entire life and played his last round shortly after his 97th birthday. His early love of soccer led him to become one of the first investors in the 1974 NASL San Jose Earthquakes. In 1979, he organized a Saratoga runners club where he helped locals train for marathons. Bill ran and completed the New York Marathon in 1980 at the age of 62. He was an ardent sports fan through his life, rooting for all the Bay Area teams, and he loved watching Sunday football games with family. Blessed with luck up until the end, Bill even won the championship of his 2016 NFL pick’em pool.
By far, Bill felt his greatest accomplishments in life were his family and many friends. To everyone who knew him, Bill was one of the most generous, upbeat, intelligent and enjoyable of men. His sense of humor, shading towards the mischievous, was infamous and his pure joy for life was infectious. Bill is survived by his wife Sue; his children, Tim (Cheri), Will (Ary), Renee (Paul Jacobs J.D. ’71), Rachele, and Brian; his grandchildren Damian, Sarah (Chris), Shelly, Andrew (Lydia), Caitlin, Ian and unofficial grandson Adam Weiskal; his great-grandchildren Lily, Daphne and Mackenzie, and by a large, loving collection of friends all of whom will miss mightily his presence in the world.