Albert William (Bill) Bork |
| Posted 2009-03-16 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Friday, March 31, 2006 Bill Bork was a second-generation native of Prescott, born in 1906, in the Arizona Territory. His full name as required by the IRS and Social Security was Albert William Bork, but he was always known as William. Bill graduated from Prescott High School in 1925. In the book, "Meeting the Four O'clock Train," Dixon Fagerberg Jr. writes: "My unqualified nomination for j the most accomplished PHS scholar during my 1924-1927 tenure would be William Bork." He began his schooling in Lincoln School on Park Avenue a year or so after it opened, for four years, and then at Washington School through the eighth grade. Across the street on East Gurley at that time was Prescott High School (the county jail is there now), where Bork graduated in May of 1925. He held Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Arizona at Tucson, and was Doctor in Letters, with a specialty in History, from the National Autonomous University in Mexico City. His teaching was in the Spanish and Portuguese languages and literatures and the history of Spain and Mexico. During WWII he taught history of the United States at the National University in Mexico City after efforts to serve in other ways were rejected. His doctoral work resulted in a dissertation on the history of the Santa Fe (Independence, Mo., to Santa Fe, N.M.) trade during the years 1824-1846, as recorded in Mexican government archives. Before his retirement in 1974, he was director of the Center for Interamerican Studies at Southern Illinois, University at Carbondale and professor of Spanish and Portuguese. He was a fluent speaker and writer of Spanish. His teaching career was at the University of Arizona, briefly at Washington State College (in the 1940s), and at the National University of Mexico, as well as a year as a Fulbright scholar at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru. He also served as director of personnel and labor relations with General Electric SA. de C. in Mexico City, 1953-1957. When his wife, Nadyne, retired as instructor in Spanish and French at Southern Illinois University, they came to Prescott, where he devoted himself to writing on postal history and local pioneer history. He joined the Prescott Historical Society (Sharlot Hall) in the 1920s. He joined the Smoki in 1926 and participated in the Smoki ceremonials and Snake Dance (1980-1990) and as a docent at the Smoki Museum in Prescott. He also served as Chief Cahagatonga (White Hair) of the Smoki People. He belonged to several Arizona and International philatelic and historical associations. He was active in the Prescott Corral of Westerners and the Rat Finks of Prescott, Arizona, a "small, self-selected group of fun-ioving historians." He was an honorary member of the Prescott Rotary Club, and his writings would fill a couple of olumes. He was married to Marguerite Nadyne for nearly 70 years. He is survived by his daughter JoAnne Craig; two sons, David and Albert (wife Kathy) Bork; grandchildren, Kathleen (husteand Russ) Craig, Stephen (wife Sandy) Craig, Tim Craig, and Adam Bork; great-grandchildren, Joe Donato, Natalie Craig, and Julie Craig; and great-grandchildren, Zachary Donato, Izabella Donato, and Sophia Donato. He is also survived by a brother, John Theodore, in Phoenix, and a sister, Elizabeth Violet, in Pittsburgh. He was preceded in death by. his beloved wife Nadyne; his brothers Dan and Henry, and his sister Kay. Arizona Ruffner Wakelin Funeral Home assisted the family with final arrangements. Information provided by survivors. See Also: Arizona Gravestone Photo Project |
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