Joined OCC: April 15, 1946
Elected to Winged “O”: 1971
William F. Baird was born on June 11, 1929 and raised in Honolulu. His long and active sports career started at Punahou School where he was a sprinter on the track team. He graduated from St. George’s School in Rhode Island where he excelled at football, swimming, track and soccer.
Along with being named to the Rhode Island All-State football team and winning the state championship in the 50-yard freestyle swim, he was awarded St. George’s Thayer Cup for sportsmanship.
Bill’s college years were spent at the University of Hawaii where he majored in business administration and ran the 100 and 220-yard dash for the University track team.
With one or two exceptions, Bill competed in the USA Volleyball Association National Championships for more than three decades, starting in 1956. He played on the OCC Open teams in 1956, 1960, 1965 and 1966 in the USVBA National Championships, and then on the Masters teams from 1968 to 1991, moving up from the Masters 35 to Masters 50 divisions. In the Open Division his team finished second in 1966, won five Silver medals and three Bronze medals in the Masters 35 division; captured the Gold medals in 1982, 1985 and 1989 in the Masters 45 Division, with a Silver medal in 1988 and a Bronze in 1990. Bill was named All American in 1968 and again in 1982. In state competition Bill was a member of the state champion six-man volleyball team nine times.
A paddler too, Baird was on state championship Freshmen and Junior crews, and was on the first OCC crew to win the grueling Molokai to Oahu canoe race in 1956.
Bill served on the House, Volleyball, Canoe Racing, Admissions and Membership, Entertainment, and Nominating committees and was a Judge of Election. He was Club Captain in 1974-75. He served on the Board of Directors, including Assistant Secretary.
Baird passed away on February 15, 2015.