William Hermann

1924 - 2020

William Darrell Hermann
September 18, 1924 – October 31, 2020
William Darrell Hermann was born on a farm near Staplehurst, Nebraska, the sixth of eight children of William Hermann and Dora Graham Hermann. His father died suddenly of a heart attack in 1930 and the family moved to Seward, Nebraska in 1936. There Bill worked at the law office of Stanley Matzke, who became an important positive influence on his life and encouraged him in his schooling.
Bill enlisted in the Army when he turned 18 in September of 1942. He was sent to Washington University in St. Louis for aviation training, where he met Janet Elizabeth "Betty" Sharp. They were married at Drew Field near Tampa, Florida in August, 1944 shortly before Bill was sent to England. He served as 1st lieutenant in the Eighth Air Force and after flying 26 missions, 14 as lead bombardier, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. When he returned home a year later, he was welcomed by a four-month-old son, James Lawrence "Larry" Hermann.
After obtaining his bachelor's degree in business at Washington University in 1947 Bill joined Shell Oil Company in marketing. Bill and Betty had two more children, Kristina Leigh and William Darrell, Jr., and lived in several towns in Missouri and Illinois over the next decade as Bill advanced in his career with Shell Oil. While living in Cape Girardeau on the Mississippi River, their eldest son Larry contracted leukemia. He died in the summer of 1959 at the age of 15.
The death of his eldest son prompted Bill to quit a job he did not enjoy and return to university to study economics. After completing his coursework for a PhD in economics in the summer of 1964, Bill did a tour of duty with the U.S. Agency for International Development in Monrovia, Liberia. In 1967 Bill completed his dissertation and was awarded a PhD in Economics. He subsequently taught at South Dakota State University at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota, then at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.
In 1970 Bill and Betty moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where Bill worked as an economist at Bechtel Corporation, travelling to sites around the world. Among other projects, he contributed to the National Commission on Productivity under the Nixon administration. Bill was active in the American Economic Association, the Society for Economic Development, and the World Affairs Council of Northern California. In 1972 they bought the house in Berkeley where Bill lived until he moved to Piedmont Gardens in 2017.
In 1975 Bill accepted a position with Chevron Corporation, becoming Chief Economist in 1979. While there he was responsible for producing the annual World Energy Outlook, which entailed extensive travel each year gathering local energy intelligence. He also represented Chevron at numerous meetings and conferences.
Bill retired from Chevron in 1992 and taught at Golden Gate University as a full professor and later as a part time adjunct professor. He enjoyed mentoring the variety of students at Golden Gate, which caters to people in the work force. He taught his last session in 2016.
Bill and Betty enjoyed their later years together, attending plays, symphony concerts and ballet, traveling and socializing with family and their many friends. Betty predeceased him in 2004. As well as his brother Vernon Hermann and sister Reona Woodcome, Bill will be remembered fondly by his son Willy (Sandy), daughter Kristina Stevens, grandchildren Chris (Miru), Bill (Judy), Jennifer Lam (Hung) and Cecilia Stevens, and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial gathering is planned for the summer of 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
The Ageno School of Business at Golden Gate University (https://alumni.ggu.edu/SSLPage.aspx?pid=429).