Bill Gruber and I became best buddies when I came to John Marshall in the eight grade. Our relationship was somewhat irregular because Bill had to work to help support his mother and brother. Despite working long hours, Bill was a great student and after graduating from the UW in engineering he earned a PhD from Cal Tech. While he was a student, he and some friends started an engineering consulting company in Los Angeles where Bill was involved in the invention of the air bag sensor as well as many other high tech gadgets. He eventually sold the company to a big corporate conglomerate but continued to work as an engineer. Bill's only child died in infancy and he shortly thereafter divorced. He spent the last twenty years of his life devoted to the love of his life, Lynn Drain. The couple befriended and took into their home numerous foster children as well as abandoned animals. His outreach program was actually pretty limitless. Bill died suddenly at age 50 while vacationing with Lynn in Mexico. It's pretty easy to make new friends but it sure is hard to make old ones.

Bill and I grew up one block apart just south of Green Lake. We went to Green Lake Elementary, John Marshall and Roosevelt together. Bill was always the smartest guy in our class and many of us worked hard to try to do as well as he did. He used that intelligence along with his personality to have a very successful life and it is a big loss to lose him at such a young age. His house was very close to where Lee Folkins lived and I can still see the two of them walking together - a real Mutt and Jeff picture if there ever was one.