The Board of Directors of the Chaffey High School Alumni Association announces that Bill Finkelstein, Class of 1966 was selected as the Tiger of the Year for 2024. Bill was nominated by Tom Duncan ’65.
Bill Finkelstein is a retired technologist. Following graduation from CHS, Bill attended the UCLA School of Engineering and Applied Science, earning simultaneous degrees: bachelors degree in engineering (graduating summa cum laude) and a masters degree in computer science.
Following graduation, Bill joined Security Pacific Corporation as a computer technologist and worked in several divisions of the company managing major technology projects before moving to Citicorp in 1980. His career at Citicorp included development of technology innovations such as a customer call center and global information network. His next career move was to Wells Fargo & Co. where he worked on direct access and online financial services, with the title of Chief Scientist, responsible for electronic commerce research and development. While working at Security Pacific Bank, Bill was on the team that launched the world’s first internet banking site in May 1995. His final career move was to Cisco Systems where he was in charge of its Internet Business Solutions Group. He retired from Cisco Systems in 2005, but continued to provide consulting services including Google’s successful challenge of a US patent.
Following retirement in 2005, Bill and his wife Mary Mack sailed over 25,000 miles as co-captains of their cruising yacht Raptor Dance. Bill’s other interests include scuba diving, amateur radio and teaching technology courses.
In retirement, Bill became an active volunteer with many community organizations in his hometown of Santa Rosa, California. His volunteer activities also included developing CHSAA’s first website (which included PayPal capabilities so CHSAA members could renew online via credit card). Bill served as webmaster for a number of years and setup the CHSAA Facebook page. Finally, he is the chairman of the Class of 1966 reunion committee.
Former Tigers of the Year
Bill joins these other distinguished alumni in the Tiger Hall of Fame: Howard Tipton ’54; Robert Shaw ’33; Betty Davenport Ford ’42; Joseph Wambaugh ’54; Howard P. Allen ’44; H. Jack Meany ‘41’ John S. Graettinger, M.D. ’39; Ernest Payne ’25; Harold “Tony” Zenz ’28; Robert Lyn Nelson ’73; Kobe Shoji, Ph.D. ’38; Samuel P. Crowe ’53; Hobart “Hobie” Alter ‘51’ John Svenson ’42; Anthony Munoz ’76; Alan Paul Haskvitz ’60; Margaret Sanders Stewart ’39; Henry Bumstead ’33; John Dean, Ph.D. ’44; Glenn Goldsmith ’46; Jim Brulte ’74; Philo Biane ’28; Robert Graber ’31; Gary Ovitt ’65; James McVicker, Jr. ’70; Clyde Francisco ’45, Rear Admiral James Davidson ’56, Bruce Grube, Ph.D.’60, Richard Jones, Ph.D. ’51, Ed Berryman ’38, Leonard Mather, Ed.D ’35, Don Morris, Ed.D. ’48, Patricia Sawyer Benner, Ph.D. ’60, Andy Rapattoni ’57, Col. David Forden ’66, Gary Byrne, Ph.D. ’60, Sue Olinger Ovitt ’65; Robert Williams, Ph.D ’58; Thomas Moore, M.D. ’65, and Carolyn Barnard Pryor, Ph.D. ’58, Nancy DeDiemar Jones ’63, Phyllis White Bogard ’57, Michael D. Moneta, M.D. ’74, Niki Brown Rapattoni ’58,, Leland Tipton ’59 and C. Douglas Ades ’60.