Bill Brooks Passes......

It is with a heavy heart that I report of passing of our beloved member Bill Brooks. He truly was a one of a kind, generous person. He will be truly missed by all of us who had the pleasure to know him.

The family asks that you allow them privacy during this time. If you would like to send condolences, please email them to bill@thebrooksgroup.com His long time assistant, Bonnie Joyce, will make sure the family receives them.

There will be a private memorial in Burke Garden, VA later this week. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you send memorials to the American Cancer Society.

Here is his obituary:
GREENSBORO – William Townsend Brooks, age 62, of Greensboro, passed away on October 27, 2007 at Wesley Long Community Hospital.

Born February 6th, 1945 in Woodbury, NJ, he was the son of the late Angela Marie Taylor and the late Clifford William Brooks.

While at Woodbury High School, Bill represented his hometown as the boy governor of New Jersey.

Bill graduated from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania in 1967. At Gettysburg, he was an All-Conference and All-East football player and class president. He also graduated in the top 10% of his class. He continued his education at Syracuse University where he earned his master’s degree. He was later commissioned as an Army officer serving 23 months of overseas duty in Okinawa during the Vietnam Conflict. During his service, he was nominated for the Soldier’s Medal for saving lives under hostile conditions. He was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant.

Bill spent time at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. There he served as a university professor, a college dean and a highly successful college football coach. While serving as the country’s youngest head football coach on the college level, he amassed a 65% win record.

Bill was the founder and CEO of The Brooks Group, a highly successful sales consulting firm based in Greensboro. Using Bill’s ideas, The Brooks Group has trained more than one million salespeople all over the world.

Bill was the author of 19 books including 3 best sellers. The former CEO of a national firm with 3500 employees, Bill was a member of the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame. He was also the only person in the world to concurrently hold the Certified Speaking Professional, the Council of Peers Award for Excellence and the Certified Management Consultant designations.

Perhaps Bill’s greatest accomplishment, however, is the family he leaves behind. His wife, Nancy Greever, is an accomplished glass artist. His older son, Will, is married to Andrea Notaro and serves as the Director of Sales at The Brooks Group. His younger son, Jeb, is currently enrolled at Elon Law School.

Bill focused his life on helping as many people as he possibly could. He exercised this drive by building winning football teams, a successful business, and countless friendships.

The November 9- 10 Speakers School, which was to feature Bill and his staff on Friday night, will go on as Bill would have wanted. Updates on changes will follow this week.