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William C. Schmoldt '69
by Rich Noyes '73
William C. Schmoldt '69, assistant professor of mathematics and director of the computing center at Washington College from 1972 through 1979, died August 4, 2002, as a result of an accident while diving on the shipwreck Andrea Doria off the coast of Nantucket Island.
After graduation from Washington College, Bill earned a master's in computer science from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO. He accepted a position at Esso Mathematics and Systems (a subsidiary of what is now ExxonMobil), and was working in Houston, TX, when Dr. Richard Brown called and offered a teaching position at the College. Though the salary was barely two-thirds of the princely sum Bill was earning at Esso, he immediately loaded up his VW Beetle and headed for Chestertown, never looking back.
He instructed as many as five different courses a semester, while concurrently pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, creating a viable program in computer science, programming the College's academic and administrative computing systems, and running the computing center. In his spare time, he was an avid runner and bicyclist on the local roads around Chestertown.
Bill's love of teaching was exceeded only by his passion for diving shipwrecks. With well over 800 dives in his logbook, Bill was well known in the North Atlantic diving community for his entertaining presentations illuminated by his collection of artifacts and slide photographs. A licensed sea captain, he regularly dove on wrecks from North Carolina to Nova Scotia and Scapa Flow. One-time proprietor of the Brielle (NJ) Dive Center and Maritime Bookstore, Bill researched, bought and sold rare and out-of-print books relating to all things maritime. His knowledge of the sport of wreck diving, coupled with his boundless enthusiasm for the water, was infectious. His natural inclination towards teaching always led him to share his knowledge and skills with others lucky enough to be on a dive trip with him.
After leaving WC in 1979, Bill was employed for 18 years by AT&T Bell Labs in Holmdel, NJ, as a senior member of technical staff. While working at Bell, he earned an MBA from Monmouth University.
More recently, Bill had just completed two years of teaching computer science at the Ranney School in Tinton Falls, NJ, and had accepted a position teaching computing for the 2002-2003 school year at the American School in London. He was to leave for England on August 22.
Bill is survived by a brother, a sister, two nephews and a niece. Bill was a friend, a teacher, and a mentor for many of us in the WC family who had the joy of knowing him. The list of Bill's students who went on to earn doctorates in computer science, and those who continue to earn their living in the field of computing, is extensive. Many of us, more than he ever knew, are better for having lived in the time of Bill Schmoldt. He will be sadly missed, while joyfully remembered.
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