William (Bill) Mosberg, University of New Hampshire professor emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, June 19, 2015 at Chatham Hills Subacute Care Center, Chatham, NJ. His daughter Laura and son-in-law Stephen were by his side.
Born in 1920 in a tiny apartment in the Bronx, New York, his parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland and Austria. He spent his youth and early adulthood in New York City and his heart always remained there.
After serving in WWII he went to The Cooper Union to study Mechanical Engineering on the GI Bill. There he met his wife of 28 years, Gloria, who he was with until her death in 1983.
He earned his B.S.M.E. from Columbia University and his M.S.M.E. from Yale University. After working in industry for Bechtel and other companies, he arrived at U.N.H. in 1958 and retired in 1997. He was Chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, for three terms from 1972 to 1981. A devoted teacher who truly loved teaching, Bill was awarded CEPS Outstanding Teacher Award in 1988. An early champion of bringing the union to the university, he served as the AAUP-UNH Chapter President from 1967-1968.
Bill was known for his sense of humor. He often joked that he went into teaching because it was easier to get new students than new jokes. If a student said “Professor we heard that joke,” he’d say, “don’t you ever graduate.”
A long-term resident of Durham, Lee and Newmarket, Bill was living in Newmarket with his love of 30 years, Tory, at the time of his illness.
Bill will be long remembered for his kind heart and charm, his original wit and brilliant sense of humor, as well as his impact as a teacher, role model, scientist and communicator.
He leaves behind his companion Marion (Tory) Poulin, his daughter Laura and his son-in-law Stephen Cohen and their children Gillian and Bram of New Jersey, Tory's son Cliff Poulin and fiance Sarah Stinson.
Funeral and interment took place on June 21, 2015 in New Jersey.
Please visit the memorial page where you can leave a message for the family.