William Henry 'Bill' Penn

By Staff
March 28, 2004
A memorial service was held for William H. Penn of Hartselle at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, at Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church with the Revs. Kevin Rieschnid and Ron Reinhardt officiating.
His remains were interred in the Penn Family Plot at Hartselle City Cemetery with Peck Funeral Home directing.
Mr. Penn died Monday, March 28, 2004, at his residence. He was born Dec. 23, 1931, in Memphis to Thurmon Penn and Ruth Wambrod Penn. Upon high school graduation in Little Rock, Ark., he received a full N.R.O.T.C. scholarship to the University of South Carolina.
In 1953 he earned a B.S. degree in electrical engineering and an Ensign Commission into the U.S. Navy, serving on the destroyer USS Saufley earning the title of Chief Engineer. The Saufley was awarded the Destroyer Forces-Atlantic Fleet "E" for engineer excellence in 1956.
After military service, he located in the North Alabama area, holding managerial positions with various corporations. Chief Project Engineer, Chief Engineer, and transferred to the Florida Cape as Hayes Cape Facility Manager. He was transferred back to Huntsville as Director of Manufacturing and later to Greenbelt, Maryland as Goddard Facility Manager.
Mr. Penn was licensed to practice electrical engineering in five Southern states. Before retirement in 1992, he was Chief Electrical Engineer for DOT (Alabama Department of Transportation) designing the interstate highways of the electrical and mechanical systems for the Welcome Centers. He held membership in N.M.A., IEEE, ASHRAE, IES. He was active in the Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, Mental Health Association, United Way and the Kiwanis Club of Hartselle. He was instrumental in forming the Christ Our Redeemer Luthern Church.
He is survived by one daughter, Luis Kathleen Penn of Colo.; one brother, Richard T. Penn of Thurmont, Md.; three step children, Mary Hodge Martin, Roxanne Wrightson Poston and Dean Hodge; cousins, Fred and Joanne Warmbrod of Winchester, Tenn.; and nieces and nephews.