William Sillyman:  

A number of things have changed about me, since graduation. I know that many of you may have suspected that I was gay, back then, yet I wouldn't/could not admit it, not openly, not then. Many of you did not realize, that shortly after Sally and I returned to HHS, after living in Wyoming for 2 years, our adopted mother discovered that I was gay (1970) when I was 16. She nearly killed me. It is the reason I shut down and stayed away from people. I was hurting, and I wouldn't let anyone know why. I had to bury who I was, yet I would go on and marry my wife, Evie Thoroughman (a girl from southern Missouri). We were married for 40 years, and I would lose her on Feb. 3, 2015, from complications of diabetes. We have 2 children, and 7 grandchildren (although the oldest grandchild and grandson, we raised since he was a baby). He will soon become my adopted son in Sept. of 2021. I openly came out as gay after my w...Expand for more