A letter from AMTA Director Kenneth MacTiernan follows:
I am writing to you all to inform you of some sad news and I would like to ask for your assistance. Many of you know Bill and what he has done for our craft. For those of you who do not know Bill let me just say that he is certainly one of a kind. Bill recently retired from the FAA after a long career of championing the AMT craft & profession. His accomplishments are many and Bill would be the first person to down play his importance because that is Bill's style. He never did anything for selfish reasons. His ultimate goal was helping the AMT.
One of the things that Bill did was create the FAA's Charles E. Taylor Master Mechanic Award which recognized AMTs having FIFTY YEARS of working experience, with 30 of those years being licensed. This is a very prestigious award that recognizes those men and women who helped shape our craft into what it is today. Without Bill's energy there would be no such award.
Bill also worked with Eastern New Mexico University to not only recognize that the A&P license is worth 72 credits towards a college degree but also helped ENMU create the four courses necessary for a licensed AMT to take in order to earn an Associates Degree. It is because of this that I am going back to school, as are many others, to finish my education. Bill also advocated AMTs to earn their I.A. certificate because AMTs should be as knowledgeable as possible. He has also written a wonderful monthly article in AMT Magazine addressing issues concerning AMTs with an informative, direct and humorous approach.
These are just some of the many positive impacts that Bill has had on our craft. Bill was a mechanic's mechanic.
