William L. Porter

William L. Porter, 80, of Springfield, died at 2:30 p.m. on September 21, 2009 at St. John's Hospice. He was born July 2, 1929, in Leeds, ND, the son of Ernest C. and Dena Grace Thompson Porter. He married Mary Lynn Lindsey in 1948 in Springfield, after graduating from Lanphier High School in 1947. Mr. Porter received an Associate of Arts degree from Springfield College in Illinois in 1960 and a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in 1963 from the University of Illinois in Urbana. He was employed by City Water Light and Power from 1947 to 1976, initially as an apprentice lineman and finally as General Superintendent of the Electric Division from 1962 to 1976. From 1948 to 1951, he served in the National Guard. During his tenure with CWLP, Mr. Porter was chairman of the Street Lighting Committee, the 1st CATV Committee, the Environmental Quality Committee of Region IV of the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers, the Ethics and Practice Committee of the ISPE Capital Chapter. He also chaired the Central Illinois Union Chapter of IEEE and chaired numerous American Public Power Committees, including Power Supply and Engineering and Operations. He served on the Federal Power Commission National Power Survey in the 1970's and was named Engineer of the Year for ISPE Capital Chapter in 1975. When Mr. Porter left CWLP in 1976, he took employment with R.W. Beck and Associates in Columbus, NE. He opened an office for them in Minneapolis, MN in 1977, which he managed until 1990, when he retired as a partner of the firm, but stayed on as a Senior Consultant until he fully retired in 1998. During his time with R.W. Beck, he was registered to practice engineering in the following states: IL, MN, WI, MI, OH, IN, NE, IA, ND and SD. He was a life member of both NSPE and IEEE, and belonged to the honor fraternity, Eta Kappa Nu. Mr. Porter is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Ronald Porter. Survivors are wife, Mary Lynn Porter of Springfield; daughters, Belinda Joyce Porter (husband, Greg Walburg) of Urbana and Terry Jane Porter-Zahn (husband, Mark Zahn) of Austin, TX; sons, William H. (wife, Nina Cohen) Porter of Ankeny, IA, Derek Lewis (wife, Nancy) Porter of Roseville, CA, Michael Ronald Porter (partner, Kjem Thompson) of St. Paul, MN; grandchildren, Eric Bates and Christa French (husband, Kris) of Austin, TX, Dan and Justin Porter of Sacramento, CA, Dean and Mona Porter of Ankeny, IA; one great-grandchild, Katelynn French; two brothers, Harry Porter of Fairbanks, AK and R. Scott Porter of Peoria; two sisters, Evelyn Mitchell of Sacramento, CA and Dorothy Netznik of Springfield. The family will receive friends from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2009 at Kirlin-Egan and Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th St. Springfield. Cremation will be accorded following the visitation by Butler Cremation Tribute Center. Memorial Ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2009 at Kirlin-Egan and Butler Funeral Home with Rev. John H. Nolan, officiating. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Hospital Hospice Program, 800 E. Carpenter, Springfield, IL 62769 or to the American Cancer Society, 687 E. Linton Ave., Springfield, IL 62703.