RIP Mr. Bill North

Former BHS teacher, Mr. Bill North, passed away yesterday, Sunday, February 24, 2019. Bill was in Colorado when he passed away. He was there for only two days to visit a friend.  He was on an airport bus going to the airport to come back home when he suddenly passed away. He was 82 years old.

Bill grew up in the 900 block of Cornell Dr. and was a 1954 BHS graduate. He taught Social Studies and English at John Muir Junior High for 15 years from 1960 to 1975. He then taught Government and Economics for 21 years at BHS from 1975 to 1996 when he retired. He was also the Ceralbus advisor from 1986 to 1996. Many will remember Bill’s use of “paper clips” for awards in his John Muir classes!

Bill married his John Muir colleague, Mrs. Barbara Bullock, and they enjoyed many happy years together. Barbara passed away in 2005. He continued living in Burbank until now, and had been doing well. Just last August he purchased a new Subaru wagon. Bill and former John Muir and BHS teacher, Clyde Richards, have been close friends over all these years.  Bill North attended the BHS ‘70 reunions in both 2010 and 2015.  He and Barbara were planning to attend the 2005 reunion, also, but the diagnosis of Barbara’s illness came the same week as the reunion so they couldn’t join us of course, and Barbara passed away shortly after that.

>When I’ve sent notices like this over the years for BHS ‘70 alumni and former BHS teachers I would almost always hear from Bill complimenting me on what I had written.  He would always tell me that when he died he wanted me to write his obituary!  We would laugh back and forth about that each time.  I NEVER thought that his passing would come this soon.  I even thought that he might outlive me.  Not to be.  This is a sad day for Burbank and for everyone who knew Mr. Bill North.