Bill Hackney left a prominent college to pilot a Curtis C-46, a large cargo and transport plane that followed the American military from island to island across the Pacific during World War II.
"Dad was 20 and an undergraduate at Princeton University when he entered the service," said his son, Penn Hackney, an attorney and federal public defender.
William P. Hackney, of Shadyside, a retired senior partner at the law firm of Reed Smith Shaw & McClay, died Monday, July 31, 2006, at his home. He was 82.
Born and raised in Uniontown, Fayette County, William Hackney was one of three sons in the family of Henry Eastman and Elizabeth Pendleton Hackney.
The family moved to Pittsburgh in 1937 when his father, an attorney, joined Reed Smith Shaw & McClay.
After graduating from Shadyside Academy in 1942, Mr. Hackney enrolled at Princeton, where he would return to complete his undergraduate work in 1948 following his discharge from the military at the end of World War II.
In 1947, he married Doris Fast, whom he had known since their kindergarten days in Uniontown.
"Mom was a graduate of the drama school at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) when she married Dad," said his daughter, Jeanne Kingsland.
She said her mother helped their father complete law school by performing in the Boston area.
In 1951, following graduation from Harvard Law School, Mr. Hackney joined his father's law firm, where he specialized in corporate, banking and finance law. He retired in 1994 as a senior partner.
In 1989, following the death of his wife, Doris, Mr. Hackney married Myrna Schwalb.
"When Dad was wheelchair-bound after unsuccessful hip surgeries, Myrna did everything she could to care for him and make him comfortable," Kingsland said.
Friends and acquaintances recalled Mr. Hackney's intellect and his commitment to the performing and visual arts.
"Bill served as president of the Pittsburgh Center of the Arts and as vice president of the Playhouse," said Harry Schwalb, a New York City-based artist and art critic.
Industrialist James A. Fisher, of Squirrel Hill, considered Mr. Hackney to be a first-class writer and proofreader. "Although Bill Hackney was a quiet, self-effacing and modest man, he was extremely well read.
"He proofed a book I had written, 'Talking Correctly for Success,' and found two dozen errors, which I corrected in the next edition."
Mr. Hackney also was a joiner, said his daughter. "Dad loved joining book and discussion clubs, including his latest book club, the Trojans, which often met at his house to discuss books they read."
Mr. Hackney is survived by his wife, Myrna Schwalb Hackney; son, W. Penn Hackney of Park Place; a daughter, Jeanne Hackney Kingsland of Aspinwall; a stepson, Adam Dread of Nashville, Tenn.; and six grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Doris F. Hackney; a son, Peter E. Hackney; and brothers Reid and H. Eastman Hackney.
A memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday in East Liberty Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends in the social hall immediately following the service.
Arrangements are being handled by John A. Freyvogel Sons, Oakland.
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