In Memoriam -- Bill Ullery
"Bill spent most of his career as a math professor at Auburn University in Alabama. Though his time at KU was relatively brief, he held his time running with the Maddogs very close to his heart. Very sadly, he died on New Year's Day 2012 of a heart attack related to his muscular dystrophy. He loved running with the Mad Dogs and I would appreciate it if you could post this on your web site.
"I believe that a tribute/history page on the Mad Dog site would mean as much to Bill as anything anyone could put together in his behalf. It honors his spirit. Thank you so much. I will only add that if anyone wants a way to honor Bill, they can make a donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association."
Betsy Kunkel (formerly Ullery) (elizkunkel@comcast.net)
Bill ran with the MadDogs in the mid-1980s and was active in racing from 1984 to 1986. He's in our all-time age-adjusted top-10 list in the marathon (9th at 2:54:20), the 20K (4th at 1:16:09), 10 miles (5th at 60:33), and the 15K (7th at 57:56), based on only 13 races from September 1984 to November 1986. Interestingly, since Bill ran 2:56:59 at the Kansas City Prime Health marathon in November 1986, no one in our group has run any faster. In 1986, Bill was one of eight MadDogs who qualified for the Boston Marathon that year.
Bill took part in our annual MadDogs run in 1985 and '86, running an excellent 21:31 for our not-quite-4-mile course in 1986 to finish third behind Pat Peery and Larry Spray. He returned in 1989 for our annual run and returned again for our big 30-year reunion in 2003 but by then was unable to run.
At our annual awards dinner In 1986, Phil Montgomery bestowed the Golden Compass Award on Bill ("for not knowing where he was on a run"). If anyone recalls the details of this honor, please let me know.
--Dick Lipsey.
Dr. William Ullery, professor of mathematics and statistics, passed away on January 1, 2012. Ullery, who had been a faculty member at Auburn since 1987, graduated from Harvard University and received his master’s degree and doctorate degree from the University of Arizona. Before joining Auburn University, Ullery previously held teaching positions at the University of Arizona and the University of Kansas. At the time of his death, Ullery continued to be an active researcher in Abstract Algebra, an area in pure mathematics. Prior to his illness, Ullery enjoyed staying active by participating in marathons, adult league softball and various other activities. No memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 3300 E. Sunrise Drive, Tuscon, AZ 87518. To read his obituary, go to
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/oanow/obituary.aspx?n=WILLIAM-ULLERY&pid=155335434 (or see below)
From Pat Peery:
"Well. This is very sad news. Bill and I were the closest of friends for about 2 years. We had our moment in the sun together. As runners and as young men. Career paths took us in different directions and we lost touch. I had often thought about reaching out and trying to hook up with Bill to grab a cold one, relive memories, and run a couple of miles. I thought when life slowed down a bit, I'd find the time. Never did. And now Bill is out of time. God bless his soul. All you need do is go back to look at race results on the web page from 1985 and 1986 to get a picture of the camaraderie we enjoyed. We weren't very fast guys but we had some fast times. Which means one thing. We trained hard. Wednesday nights on the track. 20 milers on Sunday. But it was always fun. Fun, because we enjoyed doing it as buddies. We even went on a run camp vacation together. Cheri and I, Bill and Betsy. Poor as church mice, Cheri pregnant with our first. But we wanted to get out of the heat in summer of 1986. Drove to Colorado and camped a week. Our goal was to log 100 miles for the week at altitude. We didn't quite make it. Maybe, 80. But we did some good racing that fall. Check out KC marathon in Nov 1986. Bill runs a sub-3:00!!!! Shortly thereafter Bill and Betsy left for Auburn and we left for the corporate world. Our paths did not cross again, but Bill Ullery is one person who, when I think about him, reminds me of how good life can be when you've got good friends to share it with. Sadly, his life was much too short but his memory will be with me as long as I live."
From Ray Tricker:
"Sad news. I remember Bill with his long, strong strides. We sometimes met at
his house for our Sunday runs. He always seemed to have plenty of reserve in
his tank and seemed to have no trouble running at any pace.
Sorry to hear of his MD and passing."
Ray Tricker (1985-88 MadDog)
Above: The 1989 MadDogs run; Bill 2nd from left, between Fred Van Vleck and Doug Houston
From Peter Lorenzi:
"I ran with Bill and those Math Dogs. I remember Sunday runs from my place at
1346 New Jersey. He was a good guy, smart like all those math jocks, and a very
good runner. Rest in peace."
Peter Lorenzi (1979-86 MadDog)
From Deborah Altus:
Math Dogs -- I love it. I feel absolutely terrible that we used to tease him about being clumsy and falling a lot, not realizing that this was a prelude to his devastating disease (he didn't know it at the time, either). Bill and I kept up an e-mail correspondence over the past few years, and he faced his disease with great bravery, good humor, and lots of grace. I'm going to miss him and his wry sense of humor. I get tired just thinking about those Sunday long runs, but I do treasure the memories.
WILLIAM DAVIS ULLERY
Dr. William Ullery, a Professor of Mathematics at Auburn University, passed away on January 1, 2012. Bill was born March 10, 1954, in Washington, DC, and was raised in Connecticut, Florida, and Tucson, Arizona, where he graduated from Sahuaro High School. He was a graduate of Harvard University and received his MS and PhD degrees from the University of Arizona. He held teaching positions at the University of Arizona and the University of Kansas before coming to teach at Auburn University in 1987, where he has been a full professor since 1997 and where he was still a faculty member at the time of his death. Dozens of his research articles have been published in numerous journals in his field, and his research was ongoing. Prior to his illness of recent years, Bill was an avid athlete. He was on his high school swimming and basketball teams, suffered the rigors of rowing as part of the Harvard Crew, was an enthusiastic member of a running group at the University of Kansas, and ran marathons and played softball as an adult. He is survived by his brothers David of Torrance, CA, Scott of Rockville, MD, and Charles of Roseville, MN, and by two nephews, three nieces, and two grandnieces. No memorial service will be held, and in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 3300 E. Sunrise Dr., Tucson, AZ 85718.