Harold E. “Hal” Tower was born in Beloit and his presence in Beloit is marked not only by his professional contributions to the growth and economic development of our community, but by the countless hours of community service he gave to numerous organizations, civic programs and projects and the State of Wisconsin. A graduate of William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia, his career was delayed by his five years of service in the armed forces during World War II.

Following his military service, he joined the Beloit Iron Works (subsequently known as the Beloit Corporation) as comptroller and then moved on to become treasurer of the corporation. In 1982 he retired after 42 years of service to the corporation. Hal Tower’s volunteer work in the community had not waited for his retirement. He was a lay leader of St. Thomas Catholic Church, a member of its Parish Council, a charter member of the Sierra Club of Beloit and served as a school board member and financial advisor for Beloit Catholic High School.

Hal served on many boards and committees over the years including the Voluntary Action Center, Senior Advantage of Beloit Memorial Hospital, Blackhawk State Bank, the Country Club of Beloit, the Beloit Historical Society, in an advisory capacity to the Merrill Community Center and was a scoutmaster for 17 years.

As a board member of SCORE, Hal freely shared his business experience, advice and counsel with numerous small businesses within the Beloit Community, helping people organize, manage and improve the growth of their businesses. Recognized for his professional skills and abilities, Hal served as acting director of BEDCOR, as vice chairman of the District Export Council by ap-pointment of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, as a  member of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Advisory Coun-cil, the Governor’s Advisory Council on International Trade and in 1983 was appointed as the interim administrator for the Division of Economic Development of the State of Wisconsin Department of Development, charged with setting up a foreign trade office for Wisconsin in Frankfurt, Germany.

Harold E. Tower died February 24, 1993 at the age of 72. A dignified, quiet gentleman, Hal Tower is remembered for the countless hours of public service given to his church and to numerous organizations with the Beloit com-munity working to improve the lives of the people of his com-munity.