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William Rotch Ferguson

William Rotch Ferguson, 79, died May 3, 2022 in his home in Worcester, Massachusetts, after many years of declining health due to Parkinson’s disease. He was born February 14, 1943 in Fall River, MA, to William Ferguson III and Helen Rotch Ferguson, but grew up in Milford, NH.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Nancy. Two early marriages ended in divorce, but he kept fond memories of Lucy and Raquel. Also surviving are his brother John (Mary McIver) of Portsmouth, NH, and his sister Heidi (Tom) Ehrich of Old Chatham, NY. Brothers-in-law Gary King, of Louisville, OH, and Mark (Brenda) Reeder of Lima, OH, also survive. Another brother-in-law, Greg King, died in 1996. Bill had no children of his own but took utter delight in his many nieces and nephews, and the ever-expanding generation of their offspring.

Bill’s undergraduate years through Ph.D. were spent at Harvard, where he specialized in Spanish literature of the Golden Age, and Fernando de Herrera in particular. He taught for many years in the Department of Foreign Languages at Clark University in Worcester, retiring at the end of 2004 due to illness. Before coming to Clark, he taught at Boston University. He also spent a visiting year teaching at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He was proud to have as mentors Dudley Fitts, Stephen Gilman, and Raimundo Lida, and it especially pleased him when his own students continued their studies to develop academic careers.

He founded two fine presses, Halty Ferguson Publishing Company in Cambridge, and Metacom Press in Worcester, which produced limited first editions of works by 20th Century poets and writers.

Bill was the ideal travel companion, with a facility for languages and an enthusiasm for exploration. He earned the moniker “Mad William” after leading a small group of hungry fellow travelers through the narrow streets of the Alfama to the hands-down best restaurant in all of Lisbon.

Bill and his family were sustained through recent years by the excellent care he received from the wonderful people of Reliant Medical Group and Jewish Healthcare Center of Worcester. We cannot thank them enough.

Bill was a poet and a writer, a scholar and a mensch. He also happily dirtied his hands with printer’s ink. He had slightly crooked eye teeth that made his smile special. He will be missed dearly. Anyone wishing to memorialize Bill may do so with a donation to the Reliant Medical Group Foundation, Jewish Healthcare Center, the Worcester Public Library, or whatever organization is meaningful to them. The family will celebrate his life privately.