William M (McNAir) Fox

William M. (McNair) Fox November 1, 1924 – December 6, 2024 William M. Fox, 100, died peacefully under hospice care in the assisted living facility at Oak Hammock, Gainesville, FL. He had resided at Oak Hammock for 16 years. He was born in New Orleans to Col. Frederick H. Fox and Lorena Grace Bates (Fox) and raised in the Audubon Park neighborhood. His college years were interrupted by WWII, when he enlisted and served with the US Army Air Corp. Memorably, he was stationed at Lowry Air Base, Denver, CO. and provided mechanical support Auto-Pilot and Norden bombsight equipment, vital components of heavy bomber aircraft. Following his discharge, he resumed his undergraduate, then graduate studies, in business at the University of Michigan. His capstone Ph.D. degree in business administration was conferred at the Ohio State University. His academic journey led him to a faculty post at the Warrington School of Business at the Univ. of Florida, where his career spanned 37 years. He retired as Professor Emeritus of Management and Organizational Behavior in 1992. He called Gainesville home for seven decades. His passion was the pursuit of researching, teaching, publishing, and advising, for scholars, peers, practitioners and businesses seeking personnel management knowledge and help. During his career he received two Fulbright awards; Helsinki (1959), and Kyoto (1975). He was a member of the American Psychological Association and was recognized as a Fellow by the Academy of Management Science. He authored books, submitted articles to professional journals, and delivered presentations at professional forums. Always dedicated to the advancement of management skills, he engaged with students and professionals at all levels. In retirement he was an active presenter for SCORE (FL region), and assisted new and troubled enterprises in solving business issues. He was influential in shaping the curriculum for organizational behavior in the College of Management. He maintained a consulting practice as well. Call him a consummate educator on a quest for life-long learning and excellence. He met his wife, Else Carola Collett-Muller, from Norway, in New Orleans in 1949. They enjoyed a happy and fruitful 67-year marriage, as they raised their family in Gainesville. They enjoyed golf and tennis, bridge, and travel, including many return trips to Scandinavia. They were members of the Gainesville Golf and Country Club as well as social and civic organizations in the community. For decades they enjoyed summers at their home at Sapphire Lakes, NC, a mountain retreat with cooler weather. During the cold war, he was Assistant Director for Education and Training with Alachua County Civil Defense. He was a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Bill was blessed with a keen intellect and boundless curiosity that nurtured his many talents and interests in life. He had a zest for living and a readiness to explore. His boyhood summers were spent at the family homestead log-cabin on Signal Mountain, TN., where he was steeped in southern traditions and helped with farm chores. He loved telling jokes and riddles, and his storytelling capacity was refined during summers in the Smokeys. He was musically inclined and even contemplated a career in music. He loved to entertain by singing, dancing, whistling (he had perfect pitch and could be heard blocks away), playing the ukelele, or playing piano. His era was big band and he knew all of the hits. In retirement he dabbled at learning to play the tenor saxophone. He wrote and recorded a few original songs during the 60s. And he participated in the Oak Hammock chorus. His affinity for movie classics from the golden age of Hollywood, mirrored his love of music from that era. He knew the stage and screen stars by heart. Another love was flight. He flew a single-seat gyrocopter that was propelled by a tow rope. His home office focal point was a full-size laminated wood propellor blade mounted above his desk. He was a voracious reader, and favored WWII stories and especially about piston aircraft instrumental in key battles. He joined the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity as an undergraduate and as an alumnus, he served as faculty advisor to the UF chapter of the Delts. While academia was demanding, his personality echoed his well-mannered, hospitable, and trusting ways. He was fair, kind and respectful in his approach to life and in his dealings with everyone. He sought levity as his centering device. Constant jokes, riddles and rhymes were the norm. And he generously championed veterans causes. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife (Else), his brother (Hewitt Fox), and is daughter (Jane Inge Fox-Jones). He is survived by his son, William B. Fox (Sarver, PA), his son-in-law, Christopher R. Jones (Denver, CO), and two nephews; Fred Fox (Austin, TX.) and Stan Fox (Corpus Christi, TX.). He will be long remembered and admired by all who knew him. And dearly missed by his family and close friends. A spiritual ceremony and interment of ashes will take place at Forest Meadows Cemetery - Central, 4100 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville. 11:00 AM, Thursday, January 30. Arrangements are under the care of Forest Meadows Funeral Home. A remembrance gathering will follow, at 1:00 PM, in the Fireplace Lounge 2, Upper-Level Commons, at Oak Hammock. Donations in his memory may be made to Haven Hospice, or to a veteran’s organization of your choice.

William M (McNAir) Fox

November 1, 1924 - December 6, 2024