Bill Pomfrey Obituary

Clark Burdick '69 said:

I met Bill (William Arthur Pomfrey) in 7th grade and he was my best friend through high school and into adulthood. We were college roomates for a year at Morrisville, and we still were close friends up until his death. Bill was someone whom I trusted, enjoyed the company of, and loved for the kind hearted person he was. I spent a lot of time during my teens at Bill's parent's home, helping him with his multitude of mechanical projects. Having known Bill well for over 40 years I have many memories of him. Bill was a 'mechanical savant' who could diagnose an engine problem just by listening. He was never wrong.
We spent many evenings in our teens watching movies staring WC Fields, or Laurel and Hardy, or Harold Loyd, or Buster Keaton, or any of the early classic films, which Bill loved to watch in his parent's basement. I helped him build his 1940 Ford Deluxe convertible hotrod when he was just 16yo. It was georgeous - blue metal flake paint, white convertible top, white roll-n-tuck interior, Chevrolet V8 engine and drivetrain. It even had an 8-track player! It was quite an achievement for a 16-17 year old. It was always fun riding in that car. We would drive between Syracuse and SUNY Morrisville most weekends. Bill would drive at 70mph, and I would stand up and feel the blast of air. Great fun.
Bill expressed his indviduality in his vehicles. He had a red 1954 Chrysler New Yorker, at a time when the 'cool' people were into muscle cars. Most people wouldn't know that Bill transplanted a larger modified 392ci Hemi engine, different transmission, and rear end gears. It was a 'sleeper' faster than it looked. Bill's inspiration led me to get a 1955 Cadillac 2dr ht. Our big barges stood out among the more common muscle cars of the time.
Bill was always there to help a friend. When I wrecked an MGA at Morrisville, he towed it, with me in it, 50 miles to Syracuse with a chain. He would tap his brakes, and that was the signal to apply the MG's brakes to keep from rolling into him at a stop.
Bill was generous with his time and energy. Another time, the engine died in my 1967 Pontiac station wagon. It originally had a six cylinder engine, but I found a Pontiac 8 cylinder engine as a replacement. I was supposed to meet Bill at his shop at 10:00am on a Saturday, and we were going to spend the day doing the engine swap. I arrive at 10:00am and Bill is coming out from his shop wiping his hands with a rag. "Well, here I am Bill. Let's get started". He has a big smile on his face and he says, "All done! Come on in and relax". He woke up early and did the entire engine swap, from 6 cylinder to 8 cylinder engine, in 3 hours just that morning! He did what would have been an expensive job for free, in record time, as a surprise for a friend.
I have over 40yrs of memories of Bill, so these barely scrape the surface. Bill has had a lasting positive effect on my life, for having known him. I couldn't have asked for a better friend. I miss you Bill.