William Taylor Washington was born July 19, 1921 in Romney, West Virginia to William Taylor Washington and Lucy Kuykendall Washington. He had three siblings, all deceased. As a boy, Bill was an avid reader and model airplane builder. When his father died in 1924, the family moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating from Greensboro High School, Bill was employed by NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) in the propeller research tunnel at Langley Field, Virginia. During World War II, Bill joined the United States Navy and served as a flight deck aircraft maintenance supervisor. He remained stateside until the waning days of the war, because his older brother Bob was a German prisoner of war. He was en route to the Pacific in 1945 when the Japanese surrendered; the USS Boxer was diverted to China where they protected the Japanese soldiers as they surrendered to the Allied Forces. Bill returned to Langley Field after the war and met Rosalind Davison from Opelika, Alabama. They were married in June of 1947 and Bill enrolled in Auburn University to pursue a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Somewhere along the way, he discovered a love for teaching and coaching, so he transferred to the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. In 1958, a friend encouraged him to interview at Auburn University. He joined the faculty the next day and taught until his retirement in 1992. When the University decided to launch a competitive Swim Team, Bill was chosen as the first Swim Coach. He is still called Coach by many, and his grandchildren call him Papa Coach. In the 1950s when communities began building public swimming pools, the American Red Cross recognized a need for instruction on water safety. Bill was part of the counsel that helped develop Red Cross curriculums for Swimming, Lifesaving, and Water Safety Instruction. In the summers, he taught at many Red Cross Aquatic Schools and served the waterfront for National and International Boy Scout Jamborees. He also taught Scuba and Deep Sea Diving courses and was a certified NAUI Instructor. At age 87, Bill prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior and Lord. The last six years of his life were gifts from a loving heavenly Father who took him by the hand and transformed his heart. He is preceded in death by his wife, Rosalind Washington and survived by his children, Ann (Ron) Hillyer, Will (Denise) Washington, Fran (John) Lowe, and Susan (Keith) Lee. He also leaves twelve grandchildren and nineteen great grandchildren. And he leaves Joe Higgins, his caretaker, his friend, his "other son", who has lovingly shouldered the responsibility of tending to Bills physical needs for the past six years. Joe has selflessly given himself to take care of Skipper, the man who was his Sea Scout leader sixty years ago. Thank you, Joe!