John R. Billings ’58 AM

John R. Billings ’58 AM, of Stevens Point, Wisc.; Aug. 16, from Parkinson’s disease. He was a professor of philosophy and religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for 31 years. Trained as a fencer, he coached and advised the UWSP fencing club in the late 1960s, as well as being the soccer club advisor. He enjoyed playing bagpipes and started the Wisconsin Kilties, a bagpipe and drum band, at UWSP. He was proud that the Kilties performed at numerous parades and won second place at the Highland Games in 1972. He served as president of the local Rotary Club and studied to become a minister in the Presbyterian Church, where he served on several committees and was an interim pastor at Abbotsford Church. He is survived by his wife, Victoria; four children and their spouses; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a brother; and his former wife, Evelyn Schaffer.