Professor William H. (Bill) Nelson was president of UTFA from 1973 to 1976 and chair of the Appointments Committee from 1992 to 2001. Bill retired as professor of history in the Faculty of Arts and Science in 1989. He was author of The American Tory (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1961).
Bill was central to the development and direction of UTFA for many years. His commitment to expanding the capacity of the Association cannot be overstated. During his time as president, Bill was integral in campaigns for academic freedom and for the right to collective bargaining for UTFA members. In more recent years, he served as speaker of Council, under President George Luste.
One of Bill’s important contributions to UTFA is a chronicle of UTFA’s history, The Search for Faculty Power: The History of the University of Toronto Faculty Association, 1942 - 1992. In this book Bill detailed the early days of UTFA’s formation and growth, the renewal of the Association in the 1970s, the campaign for binding arbitration in salaries/benefits bargaining, and various other significant efforts to protect tenure, improve academic appointments for members, and increase salaries.
UTFA is grateful for Bill’s dedicated years of service to its members.