Men of valor and distinction come in all shapes and sizes. One is a humble and modest man of 93 years, Bill Hart, who rose from the depths of the depression to find success academically, athletically and built a career at the Kenosha Police Department creating one of the State of Wisconsin’s first and finest Automated Records System. He had a long and incredible life, living independently until his recent illness.
Cast aside by his father who left the family at an early age, Bill grew up poor and learned to rely on himself to overcome obstacles. When his mother became ill, he and his brother were put in foster care of a woman who ran a boarding house and expected to handle adult chores while caring for residents. Rule infractions resulted in cruel punishments, such as missing a curfew he was locked out of the house to fend for himself during a frigid winter night.
Despite his humble beginnings, Bill was rooted in the belief that hard work, determination and character were important and would set him apart. And it did. He excelled academically making the honor roll consistently during his school years.
Bill loved sports and played on the Football, Track, and Cross Country Teams, though track was his passion. Well-liked, he was voted Captain his senior year (1946) by his teammates. That year he won the State Meet Half Mile Race in Madison and broke the all-time Kenosha record, which held for 12 years. Remarkably, he won every race he entered, except one … which he took second. He proudly wore his varsity athletic jacket (his only jacket), until it was stolen. His track and football coach, noticed he wasn’t dressed warm and was aware of his personal struggles. His coach obtained a new jacket (which he purchased) and showed it to the entire team, asking if anyone lost it. Not wanting to embarrass Bill to accept charity, he turned to him and said, “Well, as long as we can’t find the owner, why don’t we give this one to Bill since his was stolen”. Many years later (May 11, 2013), Bill was inducted into the Kenosha Athletic Hall of Fame and paid an emotional tribute to his late coach and mentor, Larry Engle.
Married to his high school sweetheart, Eleanor (Ellie) Arnoldini, Bill set out to provide for his wife and three children that followed. Living with Ellie’s parents, they saved enough from his factory jobs for a down payment on a small home. He had a strong work ethic and always put in 100%. However, hoping for more, he applied and was hired at the Kenosha Police Department in 1956, placing first out of 85 applicants. He moved up the ranks of Beat Patrolman, Squad Officer, Motorcycle Patrolman, Detective, Lieutenant- Records Bureau, and in 1979 was promoted to Captain – Administration Division. Computer technology was ushering in during the 70s so the department purchased the Automated Law Enforcement System, which Bill was assigned to implement. Reading everything he could, he ordered equipment and designed the necessary punch cards for data input, output and storage. Then to champion this new technology, he went back to school at night and earned a Data Processing / Computer Science Degree from Gateway College. Bill trained all the police and civilian personnel in the use of the system that impacted the records bureau for years to come. The Kiwanis Club of Western Kenosha presented Bill with the Distinguished Service Award for installing one of the first and best automated record systems in the State of Wisconsin and in 1984, the City of Kenosha presented him with a Commendation for his accomplishments as a Police Officer and Administrator, and his ground breaking efforts to create the first computerized records system for the Kenosha Police Department.
Retirement brought more leisure time for hunting and fishing at his cabin in St. Germaine and also to enjoy some travel abroad. He was an avid gardener, and a fervent painter often gifting his art to others. He enjoyed his computer and communicating with family and friends near and far and proudly posting news on his Facebook page. A great storyteller and meticulous memory for detail, he penned his lifelong experiences in a memory book for his family. Though divorced, he and his wife, Ellie, remained friends and shared their love of family and friends throughout the years.
Bill is survived by his son, Rick (Jill) Hart; daughter Terri (Kurt) Wruck; and daughter Tina (Bob) Maier; seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Marie Hart Laurent née Shoemaker and Raymond Hart; his brother, James (Jim) Hart and sister, Elizabeth (Betty) Hart.
Deeply loved by his family and admired by friends, a fund has been set up in his memory at Gateway Technical College Foundation, Criminal Justice Program, to encourage and advance cultural diversity and training. Private family services will be held at Sunset Ridge Memorial Park in Kenosha.
