1936
William
2015
William Frank Steirer
July 9, 1936 — February 5, 2015
WILLIAM FRANK STEIRER JR
William Frank Steirer Jr, born July 9, 1936, in Allentown, Pennsylvania died on Thursday, February 5. He was the son of William F. Steirer Sr. and Grace Elnora Brinker Steirer. He married his college sweetheart Ada Louise Kreider in 1958. Currently, Bill was president of the Board of the Pendleton District Historical, Recreation, Tourism Commission, capping 20 years of service starting in 1989.
Bill spent his childhood in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where he was nurtured by the Boy Scouts, becoming an Eagle Scout and water front director at the local camp.
Bill, a graduate of Central Bucks High School, matriculated to Gettysburg College where he pledged Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He became editor of the campus newspaper and was active in other campus activities. He received a master's and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in history. Then he accepted a two-year appointment at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1966 he joined the faculty of Clemson University's Department of Social Sciences?now the department of history and religion?to teach history. He retired from Clemson in 2006.
Bill had a 40-year career at Clemson, teaching early American colonial history, South Carolina history and history of the South, social history, and history of the Black American, as well as Senior seminar and environmental history. His discussion-based courses and the role-playing methods in his American Revolution class were popular with students. He won the Prince Award for Innovative Teaching in1998 and was named an Alumni Master Teacher in 2000. He also directed the department's graduate program from 1966-1977. He passed on his teaching skills to South Carolina high school teachers seeking certification for teaching Advanced Placement courses from 1989 to 2003 in summer workshops and graded students' Advanced Placement exams in history for 15 years. He represented the University on the South Carolina Humanities Council for six years, beginning in 1989.
In 1967 the Student League for Black Identity, the first African-American organization on campus, chose Bill to be their advisor. As president of the Faculty Senate, he served on the search committee for President Bill Atchley. From 1980 to 2000 he was active on department, college, and university curriculum committees. He was a member of the Athletic Council, 1978-80. Starting in 1976 he served on Judicial Boards for the Office of Student Affairs.
A member of University Lutheran Church, his served the church at the national, state, and local level. He was a member of the SC Synod's Candidacy Committee for almost 25 years, and its chair for ten. He represented the synod at the church-wide assembly in 1995. In the nineties he was elected to the ELCA's Division of Ministry and was on the board of Trustees of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Locally he served on church council and chaired the Christian Education Committee.
Bill served on the Pickens County Library Board from 1977 to 1990, and as its president from1984-90. He served as president of the YMCA twice during almost twenty years of service on the board.
In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by a son Mark William (Richelle Denise Hatch) of Dallas, Texas and daughter Kristen Jill (Russell Edmund) Dawson of Red Lion, Pennsylvania. He had four grandchildren, William Oliver Steirer, Katherine Eva Steirer, Trenna Kay Dawson and Preston Otto Hoffmann. He is also survived by a brother Kenneth (Caroline) and a sister Barbara Johnson.
Friends are invited to visit with the family Friday, February 13, at the Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home in Central from 6 to 8 p.m. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 14, at 11:00 a.m. at University Lutheran Church in Clemson. He will be interred at Middle Creek Church of the Brethren, Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
It is requested that flowers be omitted and memorials be directed to the Pickens County Salvation Army [P.O. Box 2148, Easley, SC 29641], the Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity [111 Sloan St, Clemson, 29631], or the Pendleton District Historical, Recreation, Tourism Commission [P.O. Box 565, Pendleton, SC 29670].
Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or at the funeral home.
William Frank Steirer Jr, born July 9, 1936, in Allentown, Pennsylvania died on Thursday, February 5. He was the son of William F. Steirer Sr. and Grace Elnora Brinker Steirer. He married his college sweetheart Ada Louise Kreider in 1958. Currently, Bill was president of the Board of the Pendleton District Historical, Recreation, Tourism Commission, capping 20 years of service starting in 1989.
Bill spent his childhood in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where he was nurtured by the Boy Scouts, becoming an Eagle Scout and water front director at the local camp.
Bill, a graduate of Central Bucks High School, matriculated to Gettysburg College where he pledged Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He became editor of the campus newspaper and was active in other campus activities. He received a master's and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in history. Then he accepted a two-year appointment at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. In 1966 he joined the faculty of Clemson University's Department of Social Sciences?now the department of history and religion?to teach history. He retired from Clemson in 2006.
Bill had a 40-year career at Clemson, teaching early American colonial history, South Carolina history and history of the South, social history, and history of the Black American, as well as Senior seminar and environmental history. His discussion-based courses and the role-playing methods in his American Revolution class were popular with students. He won the Prince Award for Innovative Teaching in1998 and was named an Alumni Master Teacher in 2000. He also directed the department's graduate program from 1966-1977. He passed on his teaching skills to South Carolina high school teachers seeking certification for teaching Advanced Placement courses from 1989 to 2003 in summer workshops and graded students' Advanced Placement exams in history for 15 years. He represented the University on the South Carolina Humanities Council for six years, beginning in 1989.
In 1967 the Student League for Black Identity, the first African-American organization on campus, chose Bill to be their advisor. As president of the Faculty Senate, he served on the search committee for President Bill Atchley. From 1980 to 2000 he was active on department, college, and university curriculum committees. He was a member of the Athletic Council, 1978-80. Starting in 1976 he served on Judicial Boards for the Office of Student Affairs.
A member of University Lutheran Church, his served the church at the national, state, and local level. He was a member of the SC Synod's Candidacy Committee for almost 25 years, and its chair for ten. He represented the synod at the church-wide assembly in 1995. In the nineties he was elected to the ELCA's Division of Ministry and was on the board of Trustees of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. Locally he served on church council and chaired the Christian Education Committee.
Bill served on the Pickens County Library Board from 1977 to 1990, and as its president from1984-90. He served as president of the YMCA twice during almost twenty years of service on the board.
In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by a son Mark William (Richelle Denise Hatch) of Dallas, Texas and daughter Kristen Jill (Russell Edmund) Dawson of Red Lion, Pennsylvania. He had four grandchildren, William Oliver Steirer, Katherine Eva Steirer, Trenna Kay Dawson and Preston Otto Hoffmann. He is also survived by a brother Kenneth (Caroline) and a sister Barbara Johnson.
Friends are invited to visit with the family Friday, February 13, at the Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home in Central from 6 to 8 p.m. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 14, at 11:00 a.m. at University Lutheran Church in Clemson. He will be interred at Middle Creek Church of the Brethren, Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
It is requested that flowers be omitted and memorials be directed to the Pickens County Salvation Army [P.O. Box 2148, Easley, SC 29641], the Campus Chapter of Habitat for Humanity [111 Sloan St, Clemson, 29631], or the Pendleton District Historical, Recreation, Tourism Commission [P.O. Box 565, Pendleton, SC 29670].
Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or at the funeral home.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William Frank Steirer, please visit our flower store.
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