George William “Bill” Frick

George William “Bill” Frick

George William “Bill” Frick passed away on July 5 in Palm Desert, Calif. He was born to Ethel and Phillip Frick on June 7, 1944, in Ft. Scott, Kan., where he attended public schools and graduated valedictorian of his class. He attended the University of Kansas, joined Phi Delta Theta fraternity, served as president of the Student Union Activities and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and With Distinction. He began law school at the University of Michigan, but he returned to Kansas to marry Helen Louise Bush, whom he met on the University of Kansas summer language program in Spain.

Bill completed law school at KU and upon graduation, moved to Kansas City where he joined the Dietrich Davis law firm. He relocated to Washington, DC, to join the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency, where he was later appointed general counsel of the agency. Upon leaving EPA, Bill joined the law firm of Van Ness Feldman.

The family returned to Kansas City where Bill became a partner in the law firm Lathrop Koontz. After three years in Kansas City, Bill was recruited back to Washington to serve as general counsel of the American Petroleum Institute. Upon retirement from API, Bill rejoined his friends at the Van Ness Feldman law firm. He later retired to travel extensively internationally, to summer near Estes Park, Colo., and to winter in Palm Desert, Calif.

Bill is survived by his wife of 53 years, Helen Louise; his daughter Caroline (Adam Brown) and grandson Will Page of Austin, Texas; his son Charles William (Bethany Medford Frick) and his grandchildren, Katie and Charlie of Bethesda, M.D.; his sister Christie Reynolds and brother, Phillip Frick of Wichita, Kan., and 10 nephews and nieces. A memorial service will be held at a later date but in lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution in his name to one of his favorite organizations: The University of Kansas Endowment in support of Study Abroad (P.O. Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044); his daughter’s nonprofit, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (www.texasarchive.org / 3908 Avenue B, Suite 306, Austin, TX 78751) or the Estes Park Public Library (https://estesvalleylibrary.org / P.O. Box 1687, 335 East Elkhorn Ave., Estes Park, CO 80517).