William Joseph McGinley, 77, of Barrington Hills, IL and Key Largo, FL, passed away on Monday, January 22, 2001. He was born July 14, 1923 in Hinsdale, IL. Mr. McGinley was founder of Methode Electronics, Inc., in 1946 with $1,000 in capital. He served as the company’s chairman and president until his death. While a freshman at Amherst College, he enlisted in the Marine Corps’ officer candidate program in 1942 and was trained at Dartmouth College and Camp LeJeune, NC. He became a lieutenant at the age of 19 years and served in the South Pacific and was awarded the Purple Heart and Pacific Theater Battle Star after serving in Iwo Jima. At the war’s conclusion he returned to Amherst College where he completed a B.A. in 1945. He then pursued an MBA in Industrial Management at Northwestern, but left the program in 1949 to devote full time attention to Methode Electronics. Mr. McGinley was the founding president of the Institute of Printed Circuits and was active in the Electrical Manufacturers Club, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, the Electronics Industry Association and the American Electronics Association. Three days before he passed away he was inducted into the prestigious Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He had a long standing interest in thoroughbred horses and served as a Master of Fox Hounds of the Fox River Valley Hunt. He was also President of Horizon Farms and a member of the Illinois Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Foundation. He was active in a number of sports and served as President of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Country Club. His philanthropic efforts included support for Amherst College, the Chicago Botanical Garden, Baptist Hospital in South Miami and the Ocean Reef Medical Center Foundation. He is survived by his wife, Jane; his children, Robert, James (Valerie) and Margaret (Michael) Field; as well as his grandchildren, Frances McGinley, Jameson and Brandon McGinley and Kathleen and Connor Field. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2001 at 3 p.m. at the Chapel at Ocean Reef in Key Largo, FL. In lieu of flowers, donations to a hospice or charity of your choice would be appreciated.
