Bill Curtis (Vernon, CT) In June of 1960 Bill started college at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and graduated in June of 1965 with a BS degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Upon graduation, he went to work for the jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Connecticut and also attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received his Masters Degree in Engineering in 1970.

After starting work in Connecticut in 1965, Bill married Joan Wesebaum from Parma, Ohio. Bill and Joan just celebrated their 44th anniversary this past August. They have a son and two daughters. All their children are married. They have seven grandchildren all living in the New England area of Connecticut and Maine. Bill and Joan currently reside in Vernon, Connecticut which is centrally located to their children.

Through the years at Pratt & Whitney, Bill had engineering positions involving combustion, engine performance, project management and engine test. Prior to his retirement in 1999, he held the position of Designated Engineering Representative to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with approval responsibilities for engine design changes and testing in compliance with Federal Regulations. Upon retirement, Bill did part-time engineering consulting to Pratt & Whitney before full retirement in 2008.
 

“My retirement activities are many. There are so many I often wonder how I found time to work. In addition to being with our children and grandchildren, both Joan and I enjoy traveling, golfing, hiking, mountain biking and bowling. Our great passion for golf was responsible for our purchase of a condo in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina where we spend up to six weeks of our ‘New England winter’. Additionally we are involved with many church activities most notably being our work with an organization known as HOME (Home-workers Organized for More Employment) in Orland, Maine. We build houses and shelters for the less fortunate. My wife and I look forward to continued years of retirement activities.”


Presented with Bill's permisson