Bill Sproul ’65, ’68 ScM, ’77 PhD

Bill Sproul ’65, ’68 ScM, ’77 PhD, of  Carlsbad, Calif.; Dec. 19, 2024, after an 8-year battle with Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia. After receiving his master’s, he served four years in the Navy, completing four deployments, one of which was to Vietnam, and then returned to Brown to pursue his doctorate. His area of study was Reactive Sputter Deposition, and during his career he concentrated on research and ways to transfer that science to industrial applications. He became an expert in his field, teaching courses, being an adjunct professor at two universities, authoring/coauthoring more than 185 technical papers, and receiving 11 patents. He held many leadership positions in U.S. and international technical societies and was the recipient of many top awards in these organizations. To honor his accomplishments, in 2020, the Advance Surface Engineering Division of the American Vacuum Society named an award in his honor. He is survived by wife Peggy Clark Sproul ’67, a daughter and son-in-law, a son and daughter-in-law, and five grandchildren.