About Bill

William Henry Alfred Stevens never did care for one part of his name, and when it came time to consider naming his second son after himself, he saw to it that the egregious element did not become such a burden to his namesake. Thus, Will’s second-born son became known as William Alfred Stevens. Though it originated as a name passed down in honor of his father’s brother, William Henry Stevens, the “Henry” simply would have to go.

 

In time, Will’s son became simply, “Bill.” Born in Chicago in 1915—almost to the day two years younger than his brother John—Bill eventually followed his older brother’s footsteps in settling in southern California. But not before marrying his bride, Maxine Esther Novy of St. Louis, on the very day of his parents' twenty-eighth wedding anniversary, did he head west to follow his career path as a newspaper reporter.

Hardworking, diligent, it is no surprise that Bill and Maxine’s three children followed in their footsteps by becoming professional and business people in their own right. One son, perhaps following a different path, eventually sought to move closer to his family’s Midwestern origin and replicated his token to his Irish roots as the founder of “Tully’s,” named in honor of his great-grandfather, John Tully, and designed as a replica of an Irish pub, set in a small Catholic town in Kansas.

Bill and Max remained in southern California for the rest of their lives, Bill finishing his course in 1980, his wife following soon after in 1985. My regret in never having had the chance to get to know them is what inspires me to pursue whatever opportunity I find to learn more about this couple.