WILLIAM BENNETT

July 6, 1936 - March 1, 2014 OKLAHOMA CITY Dr. William Blodgett Bennett died March 1, 2014 in Oklahoma City at the age of 77. Bill was born on July 6, 1936 in Schenectady, NY to Martha Clark and William Whipple Bennett. Bill was the second of a family legacy of Princeton graduates. He graduated with a degree in economics. He received his MA and PhD in Economics from University of Rochester, NY. Bill taught economics for 4 years at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, and then 4 years at Union College in Schenectady, NY. He was then appointed chair of economics at State University of New York at Buffalo and held that position for the next 26 years. Bill will be remembered always as a man of profound kindness with resolute sense of fairness and abundant generosity. He wasn't afraid to love or give all he had to make the world or his community a better place. Bill was a man of great accomplishment and even greater humility. Many that knew him well knew little of his achievements. That list includes but is not limited to having an op-ed letter published in his favorite newspaper, the New York Times; membership in the NAACP and Housing Opportunities Made Equal; immersing himself into educating and empowering poor and disenfranchised people; and, infusing his economics classes with issues of racism, poverty, environment and occasionally economic theory. Bill spearheaded the development and growth of the Stock Market Game. This game allows high school students to compete against one another by investing imaginary money in the stock market. The winner is determined by whose stock portfolio increases the most. The game began in a small school in Ontario, Canada. Through Bill's efforts the game is now played internationally by millions of students. Long before environmentalism was a movement, Bill was hard at work grappling with these issues. Bill was a pioneer in efforts of living sustainably. True to his nature as an activist, when he moved to OKC after his retirement in 1995, he helped inspire the Unitarian Universalist Church in Oklahoma City to become involved in several environmentally friendly programs. Residents of the Canterbury will remember him as a faithful deliverer of the Oklahoma Gazette. Bill's mother started Bill singing in UU churches as a child. With his perfect pitch, he continued singing in UU choirs throughout his life. In the late 1970's, while singing in the choir of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Buffalo, NY Bill met the true love of his life, Lee Eddy. He courted her by mo-ped being always consistent with his devotion to environmental conservation. Bill's love of exploration compelled him to become a world traveler. He took his children overseas and during the past 35 years he and Lee traveled to several continents. Seven lucky individuals will be blessed throughout their lives by remembering Bill as a fiercely devoted, impishly playful, and passionately loving grandpa. He was preceded in death by daughter Martha Ingraham Bennett M.D., and her mother, Jeanette McDonald Bennett. Bill is survived by: wife Lee O. Eddy; son William M. Bennett, his wife Itsuyo Koki Bennett, grandchildren Mia and Kio; son-in-law Francois Bikamba, and grandchildren, Tai, Liam, and Alexander; son-in-law, Rand Eddy, daughter-in-law Kindy Jones, grandsons Jess and Cole; son-in-law Rust Eddy and wife Dr. Sheryl D. Scales. A memorial service for Bill will be held at the First Unitarian Church in Oklahoma City on March 22 at noon. In lieu of flowers, please give a little more to your favorite cause.