William H. Wagoner was born on December 24, 1916 in Merchantville, New Jersey. As a young boy, Bill was an Eagle Scout, a Red Cross Lifesaver, and a free-lance photographer. In the middle of the depression years, Bill found work as a consellor and instructor at a boy's camp, a life insurance company office, and as a bank bookkeeper.
At the age of 24, Bill married June Stadler then 20 years old. June, at the time, held a secretarial position to the vice president of Campbell Soup Company. Both June and Bill shared an intense love for nature, outdoor adventure, and each other. During WWII, Bill was drafted and served as a photographer in the US Army Signal Corps.
After the couple found success as lecturers, the National Audubon Society signed both Bill and June on the Audubon Wildlife Film Lectures. The duel team lectured at many places such as museums, universities, and clubs.
At 42, Bill retired from the fast paced sytle of lecture tours. In their sixties, Bill and June fell inlove with Hawaii and decided to spend six months of the year at their condo at Surf and Racquet Club on the Kona coast. Bill died on 16 Feb. 1998 at the age of 81. June, however, is still active. She hikes 15 miles per week and paints watercolors of Indian ruins.
From the guide to the William and June Wagoner Collection, 1950-1954., (Cline Library. Special Collections and Archives Department.)
