As this issue of Good Company is distributed to our many subscribers, the partners, associates and staff of Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green mourn the loss of our long-time colleague and founding partner, William S. Green, who passed away on October 22, 2007. Although we are saddened by this loss, we also celebrate his extraordinary life, as he would want us to do. Bill Green, the firm's President Emeritus, played a significant role in many of the major legal and business events that shaped Manchester and New Hampshire during the second half of the twentieth century.
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 largest law firms, with four offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Prior to his work with 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.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Bill unstintingly dedicated himself to serving his community and his 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 State Post-Secondary Education Commission.
Bill also served as President and Capital Campaign Chairman of the Elliott Hospital in Manchester, of which he was a trustee for 35 years. In 2000, the hospital recognized Bill Green's service, creating the William S. Green Award for Excellence, and making him its first recipient.
He served as President of the Jewish Community Center in Manchester, and President of Manchester's Temple Adath Yeshurun.
n 1960, he was named "Citizen of the Year" by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the youngest person to have received the award.
Bill also 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, Bill Green received the New Hampshire Community Leadership Award of the New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League.
Bill 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 a 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, Bill received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from New Hampshire College, St. Anselm College, Franklin Pierce College, Notre Dame College, and Southern New Hampshire University.
He was, without question, one of the pillars of the legal profession in New Hampshire. His commitment to public service and his unwavering support of New Hampshire nonprofit institutions is legendary in the state, and a model for those both within, and outside of, the legal profession.
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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