William C. Hoffman Professorship in Animal and Rangeland Sciences

Bill grew up in Southern California and attended California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo for two years before he transferred to Oregon State University.  At Oregon State, he studied Animal Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Unsure of his next step after graduation, Bill was crossing the quad in front of the Memorial Union when he met a Naval officer recruiter. Before he knew it, Bill was enlisting. 

Bill served his country for over 13 years, as a pilot and Naval Officer. In the Navy, Bill was highly distinguished, having served on multiple carrier deployments throughout the world and successfully completed over 300+ carrier aircraft landings. After his time in the Navy, Bill became a commercial pilot for Western Airlines, which became part of Delta Airlines. During his life, he was also an avocado rancher and real estate investor in Southern California.