Bill Dallas, Grosse Pointe North class of 1995, attended Queen of Peace Elementary School until 6th grade. Then, his family moved from the 7-mile/I94 area to the 8-mile/Mack area, and he attended Parcells Middle School and Grosse Pointe North.
After High School, Bill got his Nursing Degree from Wayne State University and then worked in the Surgical ICU at Harper Hospital in Detroit for three years. But it turns out he wasn't quite ready to be done with his education, so he started anesthesia school in 2003 and graduated in 2005.
Since then, he has worked as a full-time Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at McLaren Macomb in Mount Clemens. In addition to providing anesthesia at McLaren, Bill has also taken advantage of the growing "side hustle" market. On days off from his regular job, he takes shifts at different medical facilities, including surgery centers, endoscopy centers, plastic surgery centers, dentist offices, IVF clinics, and, most recently, Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital.
Bill is also the clinical coordinator for all anesthesia students rotating through McLaren Macomb from Wayne State University and Oakland University. "I have always enjoyed teaching in the operating room. Medicine is constantly changing, and keeping up with the times is essential", he shares.
Bill's "other career" involves chauffeuring his three boys around various soccer fields in Michigan and other midwestern states. All three are on travel soccer clubs, and because he and his wife are "entirely nuts" (his words!), their youngest is doing both soccer and hockey.
The GPPSS Difference
As for his time at GPPSS, Bill says he enjoyed being at both Parcells and North. He says, "All of my teachers prepared me for college, and I felt like the student body as a whole motivated each other to do their best. School dances and hanging out at the GPW park were the most fun."
Bill recalls really starting to apply himself during his junior year at North. He remembers that several teachers helped motivate him, including Steve Booher, David Harchick, and Gary Bennett. He says that all three were instrumental in helping him realize his own potential.
Outside of academics, Bill played soccer at North and feels fortunate to have played for and learned from Guido Regelbrugge. He says, "Coach R was a no-nonsense guy. He was intimidating as an underclassman, but after you got to know him, you quickly realized he had a great personality. As a player, Coach R taught you to respect the game, the coaches, and your teammates. I learned a lot from him both on and off the field."
Outside the Surgical Suite
Bill feels lucky to come from a very fun, supportive family that extends beyond his parents and two brothers. He says, fondly, that he grew up with the best grandparents, aunts, and uncles that one could ask for. (Plus a fantastic group of cousins on both sides of his family.)
It's not a high school sweetheart story, but Bill did meet his now wife (Colleen Thompson) during his junior year at North. Colleen was the "new girl" at school, and Bill remembers being too shy to speak with her then. But when he started at Wayne State, he rushed a fraternity (Pi Kappa Alpha), and Colleen was in a sorority (Delta Zeta). As fate would have it, they ran into each other at a Black Crowes concert in 1996 and dated for nine years before getting married in 2005.
Today, they live in Shelby Township with their three sons, Jackson, James, and Liam. He says they are still big concert-goers and that his favorite thing to do is bring family and friends together for parties at their family home.
Advice to Live By
Bill's advice to students today is to learn from people.
And, "keep your options open. Going to college is not the end-all that it used to be. If you're not college material, that's OK! Maybe consider going into the trades--those careers will always be in demand! If you end up going to college, choose a path that guarantees you a job in the end. There's nothing worse than paying for an expensive degree that doesn't land you any real employment opportunities."
