William H. “Bill” Hills Sr., one of the great pioneers in the synthetic fibers extrusion industry,
passed away on August 10, 2012, following a brief illness. Hills was a chemical engineering
graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He started his professional career in 1955 with the
Chemstrand Corp. — which later became the Fibers Division of Monsanto Co. — where he served in
technical and management capacities involving areas such as nylon fibers, spunbond technology and
metal spinning. Hills left Monsanto in 1971 to become a founder of Hills R&D — which later
became Hills Inc. — in West Melbourne, Fla. Hills led the company in the development and supply of
advanced fiber extrusion systems until he retired in 1988, and until recently remained interested
in contributing to various technical projects at the company. Hills was the inventor in numerous
patents that significantly contributed to the advancement of technology and to the fibers
industry.
Arnold Wilkie, president and owner of Hills Inc., said: “We are all grateful for having had
the opportunity to know and work with Bill over the years. He was a great leader and friend. His
personal contributions to our company, industry and world will live forever.”
Posted on August 21, 2012
Source: Hills Inc.
