I HAD THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE of meeting and interviewing a great and generous leader of Aberdeen. With kind words and a wisdom that is only seen in few people, he told me his story. Walking into Bill McQuillen’s home was a warm and comforting experience. The family calls it their Granite Mansion, and on the inside you could tell it was a home filled with history and occupied by a man with many odysseys and convictions.

    Bill and his family relocated to Aberdeen three years ago after sad family circumstances persuaded them to make the move. Currently, he is a retired corporate educator who is living anything but the retired life. Bill works diligently as a city council member and volunteers his time and talents with many area organizations including the downtown Business Improvement District, coordinating the new City Law Enforcement and Fire Centers, city-wide marketing summit, and helping with the Absolutely Aberdeen campaign. He is also heavily involved with a group called Leadership Aberdeen.

    “[Leadership Aberdeen] helps people from all walks of life open their eyes to the breadth of life in Aberdeen and to what young people can do in this community,” he declared while we sat in his living room, drank coffee and green tea, and discussed Aberdeen and its future. Intermixed with all this conversation was the underlying talent this passionate man possesses: his enthusiasm for helping people.

    “I get kicks out of helping people through transitional growth. I believe people have a way of being that is too destructive for them.” In his point of view there are some major problems with our world today: the largest of these is what he calls it the “Curse of the World” in which people undervalue themselves. Helping others that are cursed with low self-esteem is something he prides himself in.

    “People become spectators in their own lives and are afraid to take the next step because they are either embarrassed or uncomfortable. I think they need to move out of their comfort zones, because they shouldn’t watch their lives from the sidelines. Let yourself experience the dark side of life because that’s where the growth is.”

    At the age of 18, Bill went through a transitional growth of his own. As a sophomore in Central High School he labeled himself as the “Classic Geek Head.” During this period of his life he decided to join a group at school where he was soon elected president. “It was like I stepped over a magic line and became a leader,” he said. While never fully growing out of his self-esteem issues, he has still become an amazing man who shares his opinions and criticisms with others. Since Bill believes radical change is the most satisfying, he would apply that same principle to our community.

    “When I came back to Aberdeen after 35 years I thought the city had disconnected itself from its heart and lost its way. It was dying a slow death. There had been no progress from when I left. There was a huge lack of leadership. A lot of things were wanting to get done, but there was no coalition,” he explained. So what better to do than start shaking the trees and criticizing what was happening in the community to inspire a transformation. “The biggest change was getting people’s attention.”

    Bill knows that the bringing together of the community, Northern State University, and Presentation College was the act that changed our area forever. He believes for sixteen years these very important groups had no communication. “Leaders of businesses, government, organizations and academics need to dance in eloquent ways in a community like our own.” Through his experience he learned a very important lesson: “When you set the stage properly and bring people together to give them a challenge they will never let you down.”

    Currently he believes Aberdeen is “on the upside of momentum” with the new high school, sports complex, and rising enrollment numbers at both of the post secondary schools. The new Super Wal-Mart is also something he knows will help Aberdeen see what he calls “the dawning of its brightest day.” Although he recognizes all the new growth in our community, he also cherishes Aberdeen’s past.

    Aberdeen’s historical downtown is one of Bill’s favorite places in the community.  Downtown shops like Canterbury’s, The Capitol, and The Red Rooster have romantic appeals to him and are gathering places for many people in our area. “People need to feel the pulse of the community and the downtown needs to be that pulse because it is our community center,” he said.

    Bill encourages everyone in our area to get involved in the activities that surround them. “I hold the belief that a community exists because of the input by the people who live there. I don’t take the passive approach when it comes to doing things for other people and our city. If you are a member you should make it the best it can be,” he said. “We should all be able to see, smell, taste, and feel that Aberdeen is in love with itself.”

    There are leaders in every city, in every country, and on every continent. There are men and women who struggle to make the places in which they live the most exceptional communities in the world. Aberdeen has a small handful of leaders striving to make it the wonderful, safe, dynamic A-List community it is today. Mr. Bill McQuillen is one of those people who gives everything he has to make our city great.