William Milford Rideout, Jr.

Raleigh-Bill Rideout passed away peacefully on March 14, 2016, surrounded by the love of his family.  Bill’s life spanned a remarkable period when America assumed a larger role in the world, and Bill helped project the best of his country.  Born in Port Townsend, Washington, on May 7, 1929, to Evelyn May (nee Johnson) and William Milford Rideout, Bill faced tragedy early with the loss of his mother in 1939. Bill grew up working in his father’s tavern, serving workers from the nearby lumber mills.  While most of his peers saw a future in timbering, the seafood industry or an Alaskan gold mine, Bill realized his path would be found through education.  With the encouragement of his stepmother, Myrtle May Rideout and a high school teacher, Bill applied to Stanford University and was accepted. He arrived on campus sight unseen in 1947 and quickly became a devoted Cardinal.  While at Stanford, Bill joined ROTC and graduated in 1951 at the height of the Korean War.  Fortunately, instead of sending him to Korea, the U.S. Army stationed him in Metz, France. This decision proved pivotal in his life, affording Bill the opportunity to observe the Marshall Plan’s impact firsthand.  After returning to the U.S., Bill attended Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.  He completed a Masters in International Relations and set off for Rangoon, Burma where he conducted research. Bill returned to Stanford in 1958 to pursue a Ph.D.  During this time, Bill met his future wife, Phyllis (Pam) Ann McCain.  She was a student at Stanford, and Bill had the good fortune of serving as the resident advisor in his SAE fraternity house where they met.  In 1960, Bill joined the International Cooperation Administration (later USAID), which assigned him to work in Tunisia.  Desiring to support the independence movement during the Congo Crisis, the State Department reassigned Bill to develop educational programs in that country. Refusing to succumb to distance, Bill continued to woo and eventually married Pam.  At the time, Colorado was one of two states that allowed proxy weddings.  Pam traveled to Denver and married Bill while standing at the side of a friend of her father’s.  Once married, Pam traveled as a diplomat’s wife to meet Bill in Paris. They spent the next four years mostly overseas in the Congo and England during which they had their three children, Christina Lynn, William Milford III (Britt), and Julie Linda. Bill left the Foreign Service in 1965 and returned with his family to the Stanford International Development Education Center (SIDEC) to finish his Ph.D. in International Development Education.  Afterwards, Bill pursued a career teaching and overseeing education projects in Africa.  His career included five years as a professor of education at Florida State University and thirty years as a professor at the University of Southern California.  Bill was beloved by his students and had a profound impact on a generation of African leaders who studied under him.  Many of them went on to help broaden access to primary and secondary education for millions of people. Africa remained a touchstone throughout his life.  Christina was born in the Congo.  Bill took Britt to South Africa shortly after Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, having refused to visit South Africa before Mandela’s release. Julie met her future husband, a graduate student of Bill’s, while visiting him in Cameroon. Bill’s love for the Olympic Peninsula and Pacific Northwest never ceased.  He returned there throughout his life to reconnect with his sisters and their families and to renew his spirits.  In his last years, Bill moved to Raleigh with Pam to be close to family.  He enjoyed trips to Oak Island with his extended family, following current world affairs, attending the N.C. Symphony and meeting new friends at the Cypress of Raleigh. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Pam, his younger sister, Marilyn Kettel, his three children and their spouses, Christina and Charles Belardinelli, Britt Rideout and Robin Bonner, and Julie and Mack Paul, his seven grandchildren, Dylan, Dante, and Demetri Belardinelli; Emma and Lee Paul; William Beau and Charles Casey Rideout and many nieces and nephews.  Bill was predeceased by his step-sister, Diane Rideout Hansen and his parents. Bill will be buried on April 2nd near his childhood home on the Olympic Peninsula. The family extends their deepest thanks to Dr. Liebowitz and the staff of the Rosewood at the Cypress of Raleigh for their compassionate and loving care.