Bill McInnis is well-known for his love of baseball.  While in the U.S. Army in the 1970s, Bill started officiating football and baseball games, working games in both Germany as well as in the United States.   After retiring from the U.S. Army, Bill went to Umpire School which enabled him to be an umpire working for four Division I conferences and three Division 2 conferences.  He has also worked a lot of summer ball games in the Coastal Plain League where the teams are comprised of all-star collegiate players.  When the AAA umpires went out on strike, Bill worked some of the Tides games.   His officiating experience is not limited to baseball.  Early in his military career, he also officiated basketball games. 

 

Although he was born in Indiana, he grew up in Michigan.  After graduating from Michigan State University, where he was in the ROTC, Bill’s first assignment in the military was in the infantry.  After two years, his role in the U.S. Army was military policing.  While at Ft. Myer, Bill’s unit trained military dogs then called patrol dogs.  One of the dogs, trained for bomb detection, was used to ensure the Pentagon was clear after Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground blew up one of its latrines.   Bill retired in 1992 as a Colonel after 28 years of military service which took him to various posts including Thailand and Germany as well as stateside. 

 

Bill first joined the Rotary Club of Junction City in 1988 while in stationed at Fort Riley.   When Bill was assigned to Hampton Roads, he joined our club in 1989.    Bill is a PHF + 2.  He enjoys the fellowship of Rotary and also the service to the community.

 

Bill and his high school sweetheart, Carol, whom he married during college, have three children.  One daughter is a veterinarian in Michigan.  The other daughter is the office manager for an investment firm in Richmond while his son, who also lives in Richmond, is the federal government representative for a Seattle based IT company.  Bill and Carol have five grandchildren. 

 

When not officiating ballgames, Bill delights in his grandchildren and playing golf.