WILLIAM E. TIRK Aug. 31, 1917 - Dec. 10, 2005 Bill was a man of few words, much common sense, and the highest integrity. He was born in New York State in 1917. He worked as a mechanic and served in the 6th Armored Division of the Third Army from 1941 to 1945. To sum up his military experiences, he always said, "It was an education." And his only comment on sweeping across Europe under Patton's command and being among the very first to enter the Buchenwald concentration camp: "It was rough." Bill captured 21 German soldiers and won the Bronze Star, which he passed to his favorite niece in 2004. After WWII, he married Micky and settled in San Diego, going to work for the Transit Authority and bossing a crew of mechanics. When he was 62, management started to fool around with the good way he had things set up and he didn't like that, so he calculated his Society Security, his savings and his pension, then told Micky, "I'm going to retire tomorrow." Which he did. His supervisor was surprised, all right. Bill joined San Diego Mineral and Gem in 1956, along with his wife Micky (who had a lifelong interest in gemology). Together, they took two years of cab classes. Then Bill taught cab classes for two years. In 1960, he was elected to the Board of Directors, served as School Director, and took over the task of ordering books and magazines to be sold by the Society. In 1962, he was asked to serve as Treasurer, said YES, had a good report the following June and was reelected every year after that, for 42 years. From 1966 through 1976, Bill "worked through the chairs" at the CFMS, spending 7 years as CFMS Treasurer and ending as CFMS President in 1976-77. In 1977, Bill put in a bid for SDMG to host the big combined AFMS/CFMS show in San Diego in 1984 and won. So in 1983, he chaired the annual SDMG show for practice, then did the AFMS show in 1984. It was a success, attended by people from all over the world. He was awarded the Golden Bear, the highest honor from the CFMS, in 1987. Bill and Micky loved to travel and take cruises, visiting 66 different countries in all. He enjoyed his relatives, and especially enjoyed teasing his youngest sister in their weekly phone calls in later years. He is missed, and will be remembered, by his family and his friends around the world. Bill was truly a member of the Greatest Generation. |