Brother William C. Penn, Beta Phi ’49, a UA football player, senior class president and longtime Phoenix attorney, entered Chapter Eternal on June 4, 2014, in Tucson. He was 86.
Brother Penn was born Sept. 20, 1927, in Lincoln, Nebraska, He graduated from Bisbee High School and then enrolled at the University of Arizona and pledged Sigma Chi. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
He also graduated from the University of Arizona law school in 1953. He moved to Phoenix and began his professional career as an assistant attorney general and later entered private practice of law from 1956 to 1970, with time out for service in the U.S. Air Force in the Office of Staff Judge Advocate in Tachikawa, Japan.
Brother Penn was a past president of the Maricopa County Bar Association and a member of the State Bar Board of Governors. After he left private law practice in 1971 he continued his legal career in banking and real estate law, including serving as Arizona's real estate commissioner in 1975-76.
Hel loved the outdoors and enjoyed hiking, camping and fishing. He became an avid landscape photographer and was happiest in a national park with a tripod in his hands and a camera around his neck, his family said.
Bill is survived by his wife, Karla; children, William E. Penn, Deanna L. Hall and Charles N. Penn; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Private family services have been held.
All Honor to His Name
