William L. Bitner

1930 - 2024

William L. Bitner

December 25, 1930 - November 24, 2024

William Lawrence Bitner III, 93, of Clearwater, Fla. passed away peacefully on November 24, 2024. A long-time banker and educator in the Glens Falls, N.Y. area, he is survived by his devoted wife of 68 years, Bunny (Bowman) Bitner; daughters, Betsy Bitner (Gregg Brown) of Clifton Park and Lynne Ackner (Charlie) of Queensbury; and five grandchildren: Madison Brown (husband Michael Kernstock), Sophia Brown, Duncan Brown, Eric Ackner, and Kathryn Ackner (fiancé Andrew Carter).

Bill Bitner was born on Christmas Day, 1930 in Harrisburg, Pa. to the late William L. Bitner, Jr. and the late Anna (Horstick) Bitner. His only brother, Robert John Bitner, predeceased him in 1996.

Following graduation from William Penn High School in 1948, Bill enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served for four years before being honorably discharged in 1952. He was always very proud of his Marine Corps service, often taking note of the USMC birthday and teaching his daughters the words to the Marine Corps hymn.

In the fall of 1952, he arrived at Bloomsburg State Teachers College (now Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania), thanks to the G.I. Bill and a three-year-old Studebaker Champion convertible. He wasn't on campus long before a young co-ed named Bunny Bowman caught his eye, and they were a couple ever since. He was the dictionary definition of Big Man on Campus, taking active roles in college organizations, winning awards, and being elected class president. And while he always excelled academically, the smartest thing Bill ever did was marry Bunny upon their graduation in 1956.

Bill and Bunny lived in Fanwood, N.J., where Bill earned his master's degree at Rutgers University before moving to Plainview, Long Island so he could continue his education at New York University. Upon obtaining his doctorate in 1963, he was hired as superintendent of the Glens Falls City School District. Bill was 32, making him, at the time, the youngest city school superintendent in the history of New York State. During his ten years as superintendent, Bill oversaw the establishment of an international school-to-school program, pairing Glens Falls with the American School in Tunis, Tunisia. The program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, required him to travel frequently to schools in Europe, North Africa, and Central America to provide professional advice and support.

In 1972, Bill left Glens Falls to become Associate Commissioner of Education for New York where he oversaw elementary, secondary, and continuing education throughout the state. During his tenure, he was appointed by a federal court judge to the Willowbrook Review Panel. The seven-member panel was charged with overseeing the implementation of a consent decree to improve the conditions of the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island. Their work involved finding placements for more than 3,000 residents into community group homes and ended when they permanently closed the school in 1987. It was a landmark action on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and became a template for the deinstitutionalization movement throughout the country.

Bill returned to Glens Falls in 1976, leaving education to become president of the First National Bank of Glens Falls. In 1980 he became CEO and Chairman of the Board. The bank, and later its holding company Evergreen Bancorp, was highly successful under his leadership, acquiring Keeseville National Bank and Peoples Commercial Bank. He retired in 1993.

He was a leader in the community, serving on the boards of many organizations throughout his professional life and into retirement. Locally, he served on the boards, including as chairman, for the Hyde Collection, the Glens Falls Hospital, the Crandall Library, the Glens Falls Family YMCA, and the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce. Bill also served in leadership positions for the New York Bankers Association, the Independent Bankers Association of New York, the Council of School Superintendents, and the Lake Champlain Cancer Research Organization. A gifted public speaker who loved telling a good joke, Bill was a sought-after speaker throughout the country.

Summers were spent at the camp they owned on Kattskill Bay, Lake George for over 30 years. Many happy memories were made there including playing Jarts with the neighbors (no one lost an eye!), setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July (again, no one lost an eye!), and the excitement that surrounded finally trading in the hibachi for a Weber grill. Rainy weekends were spent playing cutthroat games of Monopoly as well as various card games. To this day, the mere mention of the word "pinochle" makes his daughters break out in a cold sweat. And, when the power went out, Bill would entertain his daughters and their friends with the spooky, made-up tales of Katie Winnliker and the Heppenstall murders.

An avid sports fan, Bill had a keen memory for baseball stats and trivia of his youth. Every kid playing ball at the Emerald Street Playground in Harrisburg had a favorite team, and his was the NY Giants. He rooted for them along with the greatest player he ever saw Willie Mays until the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1957. Following that loss, he pledged his die-hard allegiance to the NY Yankees and was loyal fan ever since. He enjoyed attending nearly every game of the Yankees training camp in Tampa for several years. Bill also enjoyed football, cheering for the NY Giants through all their ups and downs, as well as hockey. Bill and Bunny were season ticket holders to the Adirondack Redwings for many years and later followed the Tampa Bay Lightning on TV.

Bill enjoyed playing sports, too. For over 20 years, he played squash five mornings a week at the Glens Falls YMCA. Weekends would find him on the golf course at Glens Falls Country Club. When they joined East Lake Woodlands Country Club, Bill enjoyed organizing Sunday afternoon couples' golf outings followed by dinner. He liked competition of all sorts and could make a game out of anything, including nightly quizzes at the dinner table.

In addition to sports, Bill had a number of other interests including genealogy, coin collecting, and U.S. history. He read the Wall Street Journal daily. He and Bunny continued to travel in retirement, seeing much of the United States, Canada, China, Africa, and many European countries. They also liked taking cruises, seeking out ones that specialized in the history and culture of the ports they were visiting.

A man of faith, he was a long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, where he served in several leadership positions including Elder. Later, he became a member of the Northwood Presbyterian Church in Clearwater. There he taught an adult Sunday School class called Today's Christian Issues for many years.

Bill's community involvement, leadership style, and sense of humor left an impression on many, most of all his family whom he loved deeply and always supported. There are so many memories associated with Bill that his family will hold dear and whenever they think of soft pretzels, Ivan Ivegotanich, sugar sticks and two are eight, donuts on Saturday morning, The Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway, or playing the shoehorn they will remember him and smile.

A memorial service will be on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 11 a.m. at Northwood Presbyterian Church, 2875 State Road 580, Clearwater and at the First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 W. Notre Dame St, Glens Falls on Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 1 p.m. Interment will be at the Saratoga National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Bill's memory to Feeding Tampa Bay (feedingtampabay.org) or to The Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area (glensfallsymca.org).