"Our beloved colleague and friend, Bill Aquilino, peacefully took in two long-spaced deep breaths and released his mortal frame at about 8:45 this morning in the glow of spring sunshine beaming into the east and south-facing windows of his second-floor bedroom at home. His beloved wife, Linda, was tenderly tending to him, and his beloved daughter, Zoe, was also close at hand.
Amazing all his caregivers--but at the same time, very true to his essence--Bill remained clear and lucid to the very end. Fortunately, he was not in any major pain during these last several weeks of transition. Bill continued to demonstrate great serenity and equanimity, and even spiritual/intellectual curiosity/anticipation, throughout the process of letting his body go. He was focused on the needs of his caregivers as much as his own needs throughout.
Per his wishes, Zoe opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate and toast his liberation."
When I started working for Robin on the building project I had a hard time keeping up - everyone on this team was so freaking smart. To quote my friend Maureen, I had to bring my "A" game every day.
The building committee was extremely diverse. Members included academic staff, deans and faculty with deep experience and strong opinions including Bill Aquilino. And he didn't hold back. My role was more a "wrangler" than anything thing else in those meetings. Everyone knew we didn't have the budget or real estate (we are landlocked to the west by CALS, to the north by Washburn Observatory, and to the east by Van Hise) to build everything so the committee had to make tough choices and set clear priorities. During one particularly tough cycle I was talking to Professor Mark Nelson about how wrenching the meetings were and he said "it's like trying to decide which puppy to toss out of the lifeboat" - vivid expression of just how hard this process was going to be for everyone.
The priorities agreed to by the building committee would provide the road map for designing the physical space. The stakes were extremely high that the group get it right for the next 100 years.
I had known Bill Aquilino just by face and name as a faculty member of HDFS and I knew he was the Associate Dean of Graduate Education and Research, but that's about it. Over the course of a year working with the building committee I learned so much more. Bill is generous with his experience and intelligence, wicked funny and always one of the smartest people in the room. He is passionate about the graduate student experience. Because of his tenacity and vision the new building includes a glorious lounge exclusively for graduate students and private space for graduate students to work including a studio for design students. Bill knew the future of the School was dependent on attracting top notch graduate students but here's a twist I never saw coming...faculty recruitment.
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On March 14, 2012 Dean Robin Douthitt took Bill on a tour of the building and unveiled for him a Diego Rivera print installed in the Graduate Student Lounge, with the following dedication:
"This Diego Rivera print entitled,"Detroit", was presented by the School of Human Ecology in honor of Associate Dean and Emeritus Professor William (Bill) Aquilino in recognition of his abiding commitment to graduate education and the role he played in fostering a climate of mutual respect and collaboration between faculty and their proteges. Dr. Aquilino, an Emeritus Professor of Human Development and Family Studies ensured that the 2012 facilities expansion included this space for the exclusive use by all Human Ecology graduate students to build their own interdisciplinary, collaborative academic community."
With a huge smile and clasping Robin's hand in his left, Bill pumped his right fist into the air and said "YES"
Welcome home Bill.
xoxo-Zwick
