Gamma Zeta Bill Small ’63 and his sons, Mike ‘88 and Andy ’92, also Gamma Zetas, have won 9 Big Ten Championship Rings between them. With Mike still going strong as the Head Illini Golf Coach coming off his 5th Big Ten Championship in a row this summer (2013), Bill predicts the Small’s will pass by Phil Jackson’s total of 11 Championship rings before it’s all over. Here’s catching up with Bill Small.
Where did you grow up and can you tell us a little bit about your parents and family?
I was born in Peoria on 9/3/1941. I grew up in Roanoke, 25 miles east of Peoria on Rt.116. My father worked at Caterpillar 41 years and my mother was a homemaker. I had one sister who was 4 years younger who graduated from ISU and has lived in California since 1970.
During high school, you transferred to Aurora West. Aurora was traditionally a hotbed for high school basketball. Was basketball behind the transfer? Continue reading
William H. ‘Bill’, ‘Billy’ Wendling ’72, died March 14, 2013 at age 63. Billy was born October 10,1949 in Elmhurst, IL. While growing up he lived in Mount Prospect and Arlington Heights, IL. He graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1973 with a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Physical Education. This was followed by a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology at Colorado State University.
Richard Heath ’54 was a retired businessman and Golf Course Development Consultant for Golf Technologies, a Golf Course Design Company. Mr. Heath graduated High School in Robinson, IL. went on to Duke University for two years on a basketball scholarship and later transferred to the University of Illinois where he graduated and was a member and Worthy Master of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. Dick joined the Military serving in France in 1953-1954 as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Following his military service, Dick returned to Robinson and joined in the family business, eventually becoming Vice President of L. S. Heath and Sons until 1969. For his many contributions and countless hours of promotion, Mr. Heath was made an Honorary Life member of the Quail Creek Country Club, Robinson, IL.
