Remembering Professor Emeritus Willis (Bill) Ellis
October 1, 2024
Willis (Bill) Ellis, esteemed Professor Emeritus of the School of Law, passed away on August 20, 2024, at the age of 96.
In 1945, Professor Emeritus Ellis enlisted in the Navy and served as a Hospital Corpsman. After his military service, he pursued higher education at Wabash College, where he earned his A.B. degree in 1951. He continued his academic journey at Harvard University and Indiana University, receiving his J.D. from Indiana University in 1954. Following his graduation, Professor Emeritus Ellis clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1954 to 1956.
Before joining the faculty at the University of New Mexico School of Law, Professor Emeritus Ellis held positions as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University and as an Associate Professor at Denver University. He began his tenure at the University of New Mexico in 1965 as an Associate Professor and was promoted to Professor in 1968.
Former Dean Ted Parnall reflected on his relationship with Professor Emeritus Ellis and said, “He was a quiet, fair, and dedicated teacher when I was his student in the mid-1960s, and a fine colleague when I joined him later on the faculty. Always pleasant and unassuming, it wasn’t unusual for Bill to show an adventurous side. He loved flying small planes, and once took me up in his airplane when he flew down and visited us at my parents’ house down in San Carlos, Mexico.”
Memories and tributes to Professor Emeritus Ellis can be shared at willis.ellis.memories@gmail.com.
