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Celebrating the life of William M. Kline, Sr.
Agreed to by the Senate, January 22, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 26, 2026
WHEREAS, William M. Kline, Sr., an honorable veteran, esteemed educator, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and cherished member of the Hampton and Paterson, New Jersey, communities, died on July 2, 2025; and
WHEREAS, William “Bill” Kline graduated from the former St. John's Cathedral High School in Paterson, New Jersey, before earning a bachelor's degree in education and a master of education degree in social studies from what is today William Paterson University; he also later pursued graduate studies at Montclair State University, New York University, and Columbia University; and
WHEREAS, Bill Kline served his country with honor and distinction as a member of the United States Armed Forces during the Korean War; and
WHEREAS, over his successful career in education, Bill Kline made a difference in the lives of the children he served in his capacity as a teacher, director of a Neighborhood Youth Corps program, elementary school vice-principal, vice-principal and principal at Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, and director of curriculum and special projects and assistant superintendent of Paterson Public Schools; and
WHEREAS, Bill Kline was actively involved in local politics in Paterson, serving as a board of recreation commissioner, alderman, legislator, president of the board of education, and city council president; and
WHEREAS, Bill Kline often found himself at the forefront of the civil rights movement, accepting an invitation to the White House from President Lyndon B. Johnson for a civil rights symposium in 1965 and organizing a speech by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Paterson in 1968; and
WHEREAS, Bill Kline was an engaged member of his community through his involvement with the Integrity Lodge No. 51 Masonic Temple and the ELKs American Lodge 333, the Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the Knights of St. Peter Claver No. 362; he was also a Golden Life Member of the NAACP; and
WHEREAS, Bill Kline's varied interests included acting, playwriting, basketball, baseball, boating, music, and travel, and he was happiest of all when spending quality time with his wife, children, and loved ones; and
WHEREAS, Bill Kline will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife, Lillian; his children, Wayne, Michelle, William, Jr., and Wesley, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of William M. Kline, Sr., an educator and leader whose legacy of integrity and service is an inspiration to all who knew him; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of William M. Kline, Sr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.