Bill Bolgrien has been a community booster in Beloit for decades, not only as a knowledgeable attorney, but as a tireless volunteer involved in many organizations.

Bolgrien is a graduate of Beloit High School and he served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, rising to the rank of
sergeant.

He married Carol Jean (Kruse) Bolgrien on Aug. 17, 1957 in St. Thomas Catholic Church in Beloit. They had four children: Helen, Frederick, John and David.

Bolgrien was admitted to the bar in Wisconsin in February of 1960 and he became a partner in the law firm of Bolgrien, Koepke and Kimes. He served as an attorney for Beloit from 1961 to 1963 and he served as a member of the Beloit City Council from 1964 to 1968.

He has been a member of the Beloit Boys Club (now Stateline Boys and Girls Club) board, first joining the board in 1964.

He was a key player in the efforts to establish Beloit Memorial Hospital as a non-profit corporation and to get funding to build a new hospital on Hart Road in the early 1960s. He and a group of residents joined together to raise funds and apply for federal funds to build a new hospital. More than 50 years ago, the hospital was on Olympian Boulevard and was taxpayer supported. A new direction to a new, non- profit hospital was planned and Bolgrien and the group, called On the Move, raised local funds and sought federal funding through the Hill-Burton Act, which provided funds for rural hospitals. With the help of Sen. William Proxmire after a few residents including Bolgrien made a trip to Washington, D.C., the group was successful in gaining funds and making Beloit Memorial Hospital a reality.

Bolgrien has been active also with the Beloit Historical Society because of his love of history, especially Civil War history. Often during Heritage Days activities, Bolgrien would conduct an entertaining tour of Oakwood Cemetery, pointing out the final resting place of individuals who played a role in Beloit’s history.