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<p>Mike,</p>
<p>This is just too good not to share!</p>
<p>Cec<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 10/27/2023 8:09 PM, Comcast wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:153F57A6-8C07-450A-A76A-6621A33054F8@comcast.net">
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Perhaps my fondest memory of Bill occurred around 1994. I was the
Function Chief of the Ballistics section under Bill at MICOM. I
had decided to begin pursuit of a PhD from UAH and Bill surprised
me with a small party at which he gifted me with a dollar “for
lunch money at school”. I framed that dollar with the quote “The
true test of a man’s character is what it takes to make him give
up” and kept it on my office desk throughout my courses. Upon
graduation, I took the framed dollar to Bill’s house and gave it
to him.
<div>Bill was a leader that I always tried to imitate as I later
assumed his role as Director. </div>
<div>Mike Lyon</div>
<div><br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfSignature">
<div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div>
<div dir="ltr"><br>
<blockquote type="cite">On Oct 27, 2023, at 1:13 PM, Cecil
Stokes <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:cstokes@hiwaay.net"><cstokes@hiwaay.net></a> wrote:<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
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style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-font-kerning:0pt">Dr. William D. (Bill) Stephens - rocket scientist,
respected leader, race car driver, tennis player, scuba
diver, Egyptologist, snow skier, palm reader, wine
maker, poet, poker player, yachtsman, sharpshooter,
fisherman, master negotiator, maker of memories and
hopeless romantic - died at age 90 on 10/17/2023.</span></p>
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style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;background:white"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-font-kerning:0pt"> Born 11/17/32 to Claude E and Lillian Cole
Stephens in Paris, Tennessee, Bill was raised in
Charleston SC, Scranton PA, and Louisville KY. He
graduated from Western Kentucky then earned his PhD in
Chemistry at Vanderbilt University. He had a long and
successful career at Thiokol Chemical Corporation in
Huntsville, AL, then Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Akron,
OH, then back to Thiokol in Huntsville. He went on to
work for Atlantic Research in Washington, DC, before
returning to Huntsville again in 1983, as Director of
Propulsion for the US Army Missile Command (MICOM) until
his retirement in 1998. During that time, he also served
for 18 months as Associate Director of Technology for
MICOM's Research, Development and Engineering Center,
managing all areas of research and exploratory
development.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
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style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-font-kerning:0pt"> An internationally recognized authority in
investigation of explosions and accidents, Dr. Stephens
was chosen to direct the 1985 technical investigation of
the catastrophic explosion of a US Pershing in Germany.
During 1987, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State
Department assigned Dr. Stephens to lead the US
technical team negotiating the INF Disarmament Treaty
with representatives of the USSR in Geneva, Switzerland.
Under his leadership in 1993, a five-year cooperative
development program with Japan was started, followed by
programs with the governments of Egypt, France, South
Korea and Israel. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
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style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-font-kerning:0pt"> Dr. Stephens served twice as Chairman of the
Executive Committee of the joint Army-Navy-Air Force
Propulsion Committee (JANNAF). Other professional
accomplishments included being granted or named on over
20 patents ranging from incorporation of bucky balls in
solid rocket fuels to gel-based fire suppressants.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;background:white"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-font-kerning:0pt"> He was preceded in death by his parents and
sister Steve-Anna Bird. He is survived by brother
Charles Stephens (partner Anne Brown) of Fort Gratiot,
MI, and his children Dan Stephens (Lisa) of Batavia, IL,
Steve-Anna Stephens of Tucson, AZ, and Jenny Stephens
(partner Kevin Robling), Bloomington, IN, as well as
grandchildren Dani (and Hesham Nouh), Nate Stephens and
Jon Stephens, and great grandchildren Mia and Rami Nouh.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
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"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-font-kerning:0pt"> A longtime resident of Huntsville, Alabama, Bill
lived in Fayetteville, Tennessee from 2016 until
January, 2023 when he moved into assisted living to be
close to his youngest daughter in Indiana. Following
cremation, his children will lay his ashes to rest in
Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, Alabama. There will
be no public service.</span></p>
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