Dr. Bill Anderson retired in 1998 following a 33-year career in higher education having served as an instructor, division chair, assistant to the president, dean of instruction, vice president, and 21 years as a college president at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg, IL and West Shore Community College located between Ludington and Manistee, MI.

While pursuing these interests, Governor John Engler appointed him the founding director of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries in August 2001. Governor Jennifer Granholm reappointed Dr. Anderson to her cabinet, to continue to serve as the director of HAL.

He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in history and a doctorate in the administration of higher education. His secondary concentration was in speech communications.

Before beginning his career in education, he served in the Army as a commissioned officer in Germany with the 4th Armored Division.

Bill Anderson is a Civil War and baseball historian. He is the author/editor of five books and 17 published articles. Among his books are: They Died to Make Men Free: History of the 19th Michigan Infantry, We are Sherman’s Men: The Civil War Letters of Henry Orendorff and The Detroit Tigers: A Pictorial Celebration of the Greatest Players and Moments in Tigers’ History. His history of the Detroit Tigers recently won the Award of Merit from the Historical Society of Michigan.

He has completed 34 published interviews of Detroit Tiger players, is a published reviewer of several books, served as historical evaluator of an original Civil War play produced by Western Illinois University and produced three Civil War re-enactments.

Dr. Anderson is a past president of the Historical Society of Michigan and a past member of two editorial boards and the Michigan Humanities Council.

He has served as the president of three chambers of commerce in Illinois and Michigan, chaired many economic development organizations and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Michigan Humanities Council Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Humanities in Michigan, Citizen of the Year in both Ludington and Manistee, Boss of the Year in Galesburg, Illinois, and twice named Business Leader of the Year for his work in economic development. He is a recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Grand Valley State University.

Having grown up on a Michigan farm, Bill was a farm laborer for many years. He worked for a commercial painting firm painting barns, houses, churches and factories. He was a construction worker and a laborer in an auto parts warehouse.

For more information about the Department of History, Arts and Libraries, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.