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William Earl “Bill” Crossland, 76, of Birmingham, AL passed away Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019.
The Raleigh, NC native earned his undergraduate degree in Pulp & Paper Technology from North Carolina State University. His professional career in the pulp and paper industry spanned 42 years.
Bill was a long-time member and leader of the Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry (TAPPI), the Paper Industry Management Association (PIMA), and the North Carolina State Pulp & Paper Foundation. His customers and industry colleagues often relied on his expertise in equipment and process design.
Bill was predeceased by his parents, Blois Moore Crossland and William Henry “Harry” Crossland. Survivors include Bill’s wife of 53 years, Paula A. Crossland; sons, Daniel Paul Crossland (Robin A. Markell) of Suwanee, GA, and William Harry Crossland (Ann Elizabeth) of Birmingham; four grandchildren, Ryan Michael Crossland and Ethan Paul Crossland of Suwanee, and Maren Elizabeth Crossland and William Connor Crossland of Birmingham; and one brother, James Robert Crossland of Knoxville, TN.
Thank you for the outpouring of love and support for Bill's family during this time of loss. A small memorial family service for Bill will be held in North Carolina. The family will be taking him home as North Carolina is where he grew up and has many fond memories.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to UAB Gift Records, AB 1230, 1720 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0112, ATTN: Dr. Steve Duncan ILD Research. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/pelham-al/william-crossland-8179127
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William Stroupe
Bill and I sat beside each other during a summer session of Mrs. Weddington's typing class in 1959. (Perhaps we thought we could get ahead of the curve by learning to type; the idea of personal computers seemed like a delusion in those simple days.) We engaged in good-natured competition to see who could reach the highest number of words per minute during typing drills.
One day one of us thought we'd won (I can't remember which one of us) until the other spotted "weoo" instead of "well." We laughed hard at the silly sound of that typo, little dreaming that a few years later a recording group called The Exciters would begin the song "Let Me In" with the nonsense words: "Weoo, oop weoo. Weoo, weoo, ooh-ooh opp weoo." We were ahead of our tijmes.
Bill's passing came as a shock to me, especially after the passage of time. He was a hale fellow well-met, and all who knew him will miss him.
Bill Stroupe