William Parsons, who served as the chairman of the TC Trustees from 1963 until 1980, died December 4 at the age of 88.

Mr. Parsons had been a Trustee Emeritus of the College since 1991.

A partner in the law firm of Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, he specialized in the fields of trusts and estates, domestic relations, employee benefit programs and charitable foundations.

He was the author of the American Law Institute publication on Lifetime and Testamentary Estate Planning.

In addition to his leadership at TC, Mr. Parsons was chairman of the trustees of the New York Community Trust.

He was also a trustee of several organizations, including the Environmental Defense Fund and the New York City Mission Society.

A native of Kennebunk, Maine, Mr. Parsons earned his bachelor's degree at Yale College in 1931.

He earned his law degree from Yale in 1934.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Louise Bigelow Parsons; two daughters, the Rev. Dr. Llewellyn P. Smith of Manchester, Massachusetts, and the Rev. Dr. Louise P. Pietsch of Ridgefield, Connecticut; one son, William P. Jr., of Locust Valley, New York; and nine grandchildren.

Funeral services were held in Maine and a memorial service was held in New York City.

Published Wednesday, Apr. 10, 2002