William (Bill) Constantine DeFotis, esteemed professor emeritus and retired Associate Dean of Engineering at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), took his last breath peacefully on December 20 at home in his library, surrounded by his books and his beloved family. Bill was 92 years old. He was intellectually curious, loved nature, and marveled at both the technological and artistic triumphs of humankind. He was a voracious reader and avid storyteller who found deep pleasure in the presence of others and in the pages of a great book. Bill was the youngest son of Argiro (nee Vozikis) and Constantine DeFotis, Greek immigrants who met in Illinois. Bill was born an American by derivation in Methoni, Greece, and came as a baby to Chicago with his four older, American-born brothers, the departed George (Effie), Nick (Leona), Cleo and Peter (Patricia).
With his academic accomplishments, baseketball prowess, powerful spirit, curly hair and hazel eyes, Bill was elected class president at Tuley High School (now Clemente) in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, which he described with great fondness.
Bill came of age after the Great Depression as World War II ended and was the only one of his siblings to earn a college degree. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Engineering, he served in the US Army for two years and earned a graduate degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. Having counseled thousands of students on their career paths in technology, he retired after 40 years at UIC, and continued to teach his favorite course on the history of engineering for many years thereafter. A skilled writer, Bill was commissioned to write the history of UIC’s School of Engineering and served on the History and Heritage Committee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, with which he took great pleasure in landmarking achievements in engineering across the United States.
All of his accomplishments would not have come to fruition without the steady support of his wife of 63 years, Melpomene. They met on a double date during a trip to New York City. They raised two accomplished daughters, Dimitra DeFotis and Andrea Edwards (Steven C.), and led a life filled with travel, culture and many dear friends. He relished time with his beloved grandsons William and Elliott playing chess, exploring nature, and building model trains. Mel and Bill looked outward together in the same direction and quoted a Greek philosophy for life: “Pan metron ariston” meaning, “Everything in moderation.”
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Visitation Saturday, December 23, 2023 from 9:00 AM until time of Funeral Service 10:00 AM at Saints Peter & Paul Greek Orthodox Church, 1401 Wagner Road, Glenview, IL 60025. Interment to follow at Town of Maine Cemetery, Park Ridge, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the family to plant trees in Bill’s honor would be appreciated. Arrangements by Memory Eternal Funeral Directors, Ltd. (847) 375-0095.
May his memory be eternal.