(October 24, 2007. Manchester, NH.) - Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green President Emeritus and firm namesake, William S. Green, prominent lawyer and civic figure in Manchester, NH for over half a century, passed away in the presence of his family in Naples, FL on October 22, 2007 at the age of 89.
From 1952 until his retirement from active practice in 2000, Bill Green was instrumental in building Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green from a small Manchester law firm into one of the state's leading law firms with four offices throughout New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Prior to joining the firm, he served in World War II in the United States Marine Corps and worked in the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, where he was appointed the state's first Deputy Attorney General in 1950.
Born on December 21, 1917 in Presque Isle, Maine, his family moved shortly thereafter to Manchester, NH where he graduated from Central High School in 1935. After attending St. Anselm College, Green graduated from Dartmouth College in 1939 and subsequently graduated from Harvard Law School in 1947, as a member of the Class of 1943. He interrupted his law school studies after Pearl Harbor to enlist in the United States Marine Corps (1942-1946).
In addition to his professional pursuits, Green dedicated himself to serving his community and the state, assuming leadership roles in a broad range of civic, educational, medical and religious institutions. He served on the New Hampshire Legislative council, as a member of the New Hampshire State Ballot Law Commission, as Chairman of the New Hampshire State Board of Education, and as a member of the New Hampshire Post-Secondary Education Commission.
Green also served as President and Capitol Campaign Chairman of the Elliott Hospital in Manchester, of which he was a trustee for 35 years. In 2000, the hospital recognized his service, creating the William S. Green Award for Excellence, and making him its first recipient.
He also served as President of the Jewish Community Center in Manchester, and President of Manchester's Temple Adath Yeshurun.
In 1960 Green was named "Citizen of the Year" by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the youngest person to have received the award, and in 1998 received the New Hampshire Business & Industry Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Green served as President and Campaign Chairman for the United Way of Greater Manchester. In 1991, in recognition of his contributions, that organization established the Wm S. Green Lifetime Achievement Award to be awarded to deserving recipients. In the same year, he was the New Hampshire honoree of the "Leadership in Philanthropy" award given by the sponsoring organizations for the Northern New England Partners in Philanthropy Conference. In 1997, he received the New Hampshire Community Leadership Award of the New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League.
Green was a Trustee of New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University), and, from 1986 to 1987, served as the college's Chancellor. He served as director of the New England Circle, as a member of the New Hampshire Business Roundtable on Education, as a trustee of the Manchester Historic Association and as a trustee of Leadership New Hampshire.
In addition to numerous other awards in testimony of his philanthropic service, Green received numerous Doctor of Laws degrees from New Hampshire College, St. Anselm College, Franklin Pierce College, Notre Dame College, and Southern New Hampshire University.
"Bill Green was, without question, one of the pillars of the legal profession in New Hampshire," said SPB+G managing director, Joseph A. DiBrigida. "His commitment to public service and his unwavering support of New Hampshire non profit institutions is legendary in the state, and a model for those both within, and outside of the legal profession." DiBrigida added "Through his leadership and example during his 50 years at Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green, Bill established the principles by which the Firm operates. We strive to treat everyone with respect; we value diligence and hard work; we believe we have a duty to give back to the communities we serve. The Firm pledges to honor Bill's legacy by never wavering from these principles."
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