• Distinguished Alumnus 2019

Education

  • Ordination Class of 1964

Biography

Bill McGuire received the 2019 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Saint Meinrad Alumni Association. Here is the introduction speech for his award.

Good evening. Tonight I am honored to introduce to you the first of our three recipients of the Saint Meinrad Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Bill McGuire, born and raised in Fort Branch, IN, came to Saint Meinrad in 1952, at the young age of 14, and entered as a student in Minor Seminary.

He spent five and half years at Saint Meinrad, building friendships and learning lessons that would stay with him for years to come. In 1958, he discerned that priesthood was not his calling and transferred to the University of Evansville. There, he got involved with the Newman Club and met his wife, Margaret, who has been by his side ever since.

After graduating with a degree in business in 1962, Bill began a nearly 30-year career at Indiana Bell, later Ameritech, in Indianapolis. That’s where he and Margaret settled down and raised their family.

After retiring for the first time from Ameritech, Bill decided he only wanted to live part-time at the golf course, so he spent the other twenty hours of the week working part-time for Hancock Telecom as director of settlements and special projects. In 2005, he received the distinguished service award from the Indiana Telecommunications Association. And in 2009, he retired for good from Hancock Telecom.

While its true Bill worked dutifully and had much success during his time in business, it’s his noteworthy service to his faith, his family, and in particular, Saint Meinrad, that we are celebrating tonight.

Though he left his studies in 1958, Bill is no stranger in the halls of Saint Meinrad. His years of service to this place and its mission are highly regarded and much appreciated by those who live and work on this Holy Hill.

In 1973, Bill began a three-year stint on the Saint Meinrad Alumni Association Board of Directors, serving as secretary in his final year. He agreed to serve another term in 2011, and for six-years, from 2011 to 2017, he was an essential voice on the alumni board, taking the lead on the implementation of new programs and serving tirelessly as an advocate for Saint Meinrad among his classmates and peers.

Since 2000, he has chaired his reunion class for the Alumni Reunion eight times, ensuring his class celebrates their many milestones well. He even claims that he holds the record for recruiting the most class members to attend the Alumni Reunion.

As his class can attest, through phone calls and emails, Bill has risen above and beyond in keeping his classmates informed about each other and connected to Saint Meinrad.

His tireless work in supporting the community doesn’t end on the Alumni Board or with his classmates, however.

Bill also has led a Saint Meinrad Day of Service project in Indianapolis every year since 2015 and attends the regional dinner in Indianapolis. He is active at St. Barnabas Parish in Indianapolis and served as the Eucharistic minister coordinator for 28 years, scheduling and training all Eucharistic ministers.

In addition, for the past 15 years, Bill has been going on mission trips to the southwest United States and just returned from Tijuana, Mexico.

Before I close this introduction to our first Distinguished Alumnus of the night, I would like to share a few words from one of those who nominated Bill McGuire for this award.

An alumnus who nominated Bill said, “Bill would never admit to ‘doing great things’ for Saint Meinrad. In fact, he boasts in what Saint Meinrad has done for him. He quietly and with great intention lives out what God planted in him so many years ago on the Hill in southern Indiana.”

Tonight, with great joy and pride, we present Bill McGuire with the Saint Meinrad Distinguished Alumnus Award.