William Barlow Quarton III

William Barlow Quarton III, 104, communications pioneer, humanitarian, philanthropist, and civic leader, of 134 Kyrie Drive SE, died early Sunday morning, August 19, 2007 at his home following a brief illness. A celebration of life service will be held at 11 am on Monday, August 27, in the Sinclair Auditorium of Coe College with college president James R. Phifer officiating. Private entombment will be in Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery Chapel of Memories Mausoleum. A reception will be held immediately following the service at the Cedar Rapids Country Club. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Community Health Free Clinic, 947 14th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403 or the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 3rd Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.

Bill is survived by his daughter, Diane Q. Geiger and husband Waldo of Des Moines, Iowa, two grandsons, Toby Andrew Geiger and wife Heather and Anthony Barlow Geiger and fiancé Nikki Zittergruen all of Des Moines as well as two great-grandsons, William Andrew Geiger and Zachary Thomas Geiger, in whom Bill took great delight. Bill is also survived by his very dear friend and partner of 14 years, Jean Hunnicutt of Cedar Rapids and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, two sisters, and his beloved wife of 50 years, Elnora Helen (Bierkamp) Quarton.

Born in Algona, Iowa, on March 27, 1903, William Barlow Quarton III had an idyllic childhood. After attending the University of Iowa and George Washington University, Bill began a fifty-five year journey that took him from Capitol Hill to Wall Street to Hollywood, to New York again, and, finally, back to Iowa.

Along the way, he crossed paths with a remarkable list of individuals. Bill worked for Andrew Mellon and Thomas Edison; met William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover; shared a duplex with Randolph Scott; and sold men's socks to Eleanor Roosevelt.

Bill returned to Iowa in 1931 to become a pioneer of the radio industry. He started at KWCR and helped to merge that station with WMT in 1935. WMT joined the CBS network in 1938 and Bill succeeded his brother Sumner as station manager in 1943. By the end of the decade, he was a leader in the radio broadcast industry.

Once again, Bill was in the right place at the right time. He worked with radio executives such as Frank Stanton and William Paley. He knew some of the great radio journalists and entertainers, including Edward R. Murrow and Arthur Godfrey. Bill even hired a fellow named Walter Cronkite to provide news reports for WMT and other Midwestern stations.

Bill was a visionary who realized as early as 1939 that the next revolution, beyond radio, would be in television. Thanks to his hard work, in September 1953 WMT became one of the first stations to bring television to eastern Iowa. Under his leadership, the station won many awards, including a prestigious George Peabody Award. Bill was recognized for his abilities and achievement when he was elected to chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters in 1963. In this capacity, he met many of the great figures from the golden age of television-Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, and Phil Silvers among them.

After he retired from WMT in 1968, Bill did not abandon broadcasting or his commitment to public service. He served a term on the Board of Regents of the State of Iowa. He was one of the founders of Iowa Public Television and an early board member of the Public Broadcasting Service serving as vice chairman of PBS in 1975.

Bill continued to stay active in business and public service well into the 1980s. He established Cablevision of Iowa, which brought high-quality television service to small towns all over the state. He supported Coe College, where he was a trustee for more than thirty years. He joined the Hoover Presidential Library Association, and was a trustee from 1975 until his death. He reenergized the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, promoting its efforts to improve the quality of life in his adopted hometown. There is hardly an aspect of life in Cedar Rapids that has not been improved by Bill Quarton.

Bill loved to travel and explore the history of civilization. In his autobiography, Lucky Man (2005), Bill recalled the wonderful trips that he took with his wife Elnora, his daughter, Diane, and his friend and companion, Jean. In particular, he noted his last round the world journey at the age of 97: "We flew in helicopters and had a sunrise balloon rides in Africa. We saw the Taj Mahal up close in all its glory and enjoyed the magnificent scenery in each country we visited."

He also loved life and was deeply involved in all aspects of Iowa arts, sports and culture. He was passionate about Grant Wood, Marvin Cone, Hawkeye sports and golf at all levels from his personal game to the professional ranks. In fact, Bill was an avid golfer and played until he was 97 years old. He also enjoyed the Hawkeyes and attended every Iowa home football game for over 65 years. Bill dearly loved his family and especially enjoyed the pleasure of the company of his two great grandsons, William and Zachary.

He contributed to dozens or organizations through his time, his talent, and his treasure. He was a major donor to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and the University of Iowa. He was a member of Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce and served as its president in 1944. He was a Rotarian and a Mason and a long-time member of the Cedar Rapids Country Club, the Coral Ridge Yacht Club and the Fort Lauderdale Country Club.

Bill liked to refer to himself as the luckiest guy in the world. But all who knew Bill would say they were even more fortunate for knowing him. Perhaps his friend Walter Cronkite put it best: "Bill made a lot that luck by his personality, his skills as a broadcaster, and particularly by the friendships and reputation he made as one dedicated to the service of his community, his state, and his country."

Special thanks to Mercy Home Health for devoted care from Mary Check, May McGinness and Brenda Hogan as well as from Dr. Frank, Dr. Silber and Dr. Andy Peterson. Also special thanks to Pat and Bob Leahy, Frank Bittner and especially Bill's secretary for 60 years, Bette Shimek.

PARKING IN THE AREA OF THE COE COLLEGE SINCLAIR AUDITORIUM WILL BE LIMITED. SPACES WILL BE AVAILABLE IN ST. LUKES A AVENUE PARKING RAMP AND IN VARIOUS LOTS ON THE COE CAMPUS. A LARGE SHUTTLE BUS WILL AVAILABLE AT THE CEDAR RAPIDS COUNTRY CLUB PARKING LOT AT 9:45 AM TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION TO COE COLLEGE FOR THE SERVICE AND THEN BACK TO THE CLUB FOR THE RECEPTION. THOSE CONCERNED ABOUT PARKING SHOULD USE THIS SERVICE.

Please leave a memory, message or tribute to the Quarton family at www.cedarmemorial.com under Obituaries.