William Hildreth Sims

William Hildreth Sims; A life well spent. William (Bill) Hildreth Sims left our loving presence November 7, 2023 at the age of 85. Bill is survived by his long time love and friend, Janet Held, whom he had so many good times and adventures with. Bill is also survived by his brother John David Sims, a lifelong friend and devoted sibling as well as other relatives and those who felt a deep kinship with him. Bill was born in Mount Olivet, KY May 12, 1938, growing up on a small farm located in a beautiful rural setting just outside the town. His brother John entered the world three years later. John recalls their mother’s story of how Billy was dedicated to patiently teaching him how to read by repeating the stories their mother read to him (earlier than age 4) - or maybe just pretending to read while turning a book’s pages. Bill’s mother was a teacher, from whom both brothers certainly benefited. Bill’s passion for reading came from his mother and was inadvertently encouraged by his high school coach who advised him, due to his small stature, not to try out for sports, but to “do us both a favor and go to the library.” Bill took the advice and over his high school years read every book there. In his last years Bill nearly completed the challenging 11-volume series, “The Story of Civilization”. Bill’s love of reading and history continued during his lifetime with an astounding memory for events, times, places and names mapped to his mental geographical framework. Bill and his brother worked diligently as children learning every aspect of running a farm under strict fatherly guidance until college called them from their many farm duties and responsibilities. Both brothers attended the University of Kentucky. Bill’s history teacher encouraged him to major in history; however, Bill could not see the field’s Return on Investment and just saved “history” as a part time passion. Bill initially followed an electrical engineering curriculum and then switched to physics. Then off to Florida State University for a Ph.D. in Physics. Working at Brookhaven post doc was a great experience- but then on to another kind of work at Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) located in the D.C. area. Bill’s analytical talents, insights, perseverance and work ethic garnered from an early age served him well over the course of 40 years supporting the Department of Defense (DOD). His analytical work was deep and diverse, mostly in Manpower and Personnel matters. His skills extended to program management and mentoring with many of his team members highly influenced by his methodical approach to solving military challenges. During Bill’s career with CNA, he received both Navy’s Award for Distinguished Public Service, and Superior Public Service as well as a high level DOD award for being the key to solving recruit testing problems. Bill’s CNA family members have provided an outpouring of accolades and personal stories upon learning of his passing and wish him “…fair winds and following seas, dear colleague.” Bill had a passion for classical music, acquired during college after being educated by a roommate who exposed him to the genre. In later years, his musical interests expanded to Pink Floyd and a smattering of pop music including interest in his brother John’s musical talents in writing, singing, and guitar playing. Not bad, brother John, for one who had a career as a County Attorney. In his last years, Bill had a passion for the elder Johnny Cash and Highwayman Genre as well as Emmylou Harris and her frequent duet partners including Mark Knopfler. Another Mark, Mark Rothko, had a major artistic influence in Bill’s mid-and-later years as he started to paint modeling the abstract style.   Both Bill and his later life partner Janet had plenty of other than government travel opportunities when she moved to Memphis to continue her career with the Navy as a Personnel Research Psychologist in 1999. Flying to Europe was a relatively easy venture from Memphis versus from California where the two eventually retired. One memorable2-week trip to Paris evaluated Bill’s patience – he passed the test - when his luggage was lost on a train to the hotel, and then the next day the local ATM retracted his credit card. All in the first 24-hours! However, all turned out well just going with the flow. Bill was glad to have made several overseas trips with Janet before retiring, as they found it does not get easier with age. Substituting for international travel was a time-share in New York City for nine years getting to know the city in depth at a leisurely pace. As with all their trips, the local museums were first on the sightseeing list. In his final years in retirement, travel was confined to the U.S with Janet’s very engaging Tour Director sister Miriam. Bill will be missed by his family, colleagues, and many friends made over the years. Missed not only for his talents, impactful insights, and patience, but also for his subtle humor and smile.