I don't personally know much about what happened to Bill Roalman (the President of our Class in 1970), but I found some things on-line. He was a 1984 graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California and married Amena Atta, a refugee from Afghanistan. He was a liberal member of the San Luis Obispo City Council, and the Bill Roalman Bike Blvd. on Morro Street (a dedicated bike lane on a city street) in SLO was named after him in February 2007. One remembrance said: "He’d done programs with his guitar for every good cause that built community, like fundraisers for the Prado Road shelter. Late at night, he’d join the police on their patrols so he could more fully understand issues confronting our community. Roalman was one of the gentlest souls I’ve encountered."
Bill Roalman pumps up tire of the bike that he bought at a police auction and rode nearly every day to work. The environmental planner was elected to San Luis Obispo city council in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Oh my-I can't believe that Bill Roalman passed away. I lived nearby Bill and knew him from Benjamin Franklin Grade School. One winter day when snow up to my knees, Bill saw me trudging along to school(as I had to pass by his home) , Bill hollered out his second story window to me that there was NO SCHOOL TODAY -think we were about in grade 3 ? // Another memory was he asked me to dance at our eighth grade junior high social-Bill said to me,"What did you do to your hair?"( I'd gone to beauty parlor with my Mom and got it cut and curled and ratted up with hair-spray) LOL --Still,Bill was kind to me even though I looked so different. I somehow was trying to please my Mom with the hair-do. // Then in HS-Bill sat behind me in Mrs Hake's English class. One day, Bill asked me if I'd please hand out fliers to fellow students to vote for him for Student Council. Of course,I said sure. I always admired Bill and I last saw him at GBW HS. I biked to his parent's home some months after graduation to just say hello to him, however, he wasn't home at that time. Rest in Peace Bill. May God Bless your friends and Family, Ruth Shepard Deitz
Thank you, Scott for the information and background on Bill. He was such a gentle, fun loving person and so friendly. He accomplished a lot. I'm so sorry he's gone. So nice that they named a bike lane after him. Perfect!
Scott Zapel
I don't personally know much about what happened to Bill Roalman (the President of our Class in 1970), but I found some things on-line. He was a 1984 graduate of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California and married Amena Atta, a refugee from Afghanistan. He was a liberal member of the San Luis Obispo City Council, and the Bill Roalman Bike Blvd. on Morro Street (a dedicated bike lane on a city street) in SLO was named after him in February 2007. One remembrance said: "He’d done programs with his guitar for every good cause that built community, like fundraisers for the Prado Road shelter. Late at night, he’d join the police on their patrols so he could more fully understand issues confronting our community. Roalman was one of the gentlest souls I’ve encountered."
Bill Roalman pumps up tire of the bike that he bought at a police auction and rode nearly every day to work. The environmental planner was elected to San Luis Obispo city council in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Ruth Shepard (Deitz)
Oh my-I can't believe that Bill Roalman passed away. I lived nearby Bill and knew him from Benjamin Franklin Grade School. One winter day when snow up to my knees, Bill saw me trudging along to school(as I had to pass by his home) , Bill hollered out his second story window to me that there was NO SCHOOL TODAY -think we were about in grade 3 ? // Another memory was he asked me to dance at our eighth grade junior high social-Bill said to me,"What did you do to your hair?"( I'd gone to beauty parlor with my Mom and got it cut and curled and ratted up with hair-spray) LOL --Still,Bill was kind to me even though I looked so different. I somehow was trying to please my Mom with the hair-do. // Then in HS-Bill sat behind me in Mrs Hake's English class. One day, Bill asked me if I'd please hand out fliers to fellow students to vote for him for Student Council. Of course,I said sure. I always admired Bill and I last saw him at GBW HS. I biked to his parent's home some months after graduation to just say hello to him, however, he wasn't home at that time. Rest in Peace Bill. May God Bless your friends and Family, Ruth Shepard Deitz
John Simanton
Oh, dear! Bill Roalman gone? Very saddened t hear this, RIP Bill!
Jean "Frosty" Pengelly (Lay)
Thank you, Scott for the information and background on Bill. He was such a gentle, fun loving person and so friendly. He accomplished a lot. I'm so sorry he's gone. So nice that they named a bike lane after him. Perfect!