William L. Selden, a businessman, philanthropist, sportsman, dog lover, innate comedian, husband, father and grandfather, died on February 5, following injuries sustained in a skiing accident. He was 70. Bill lived an incredibly full life that brought him around the globe in the pursuit of many passions and rewarded him with a trove of great friends and stories. Bill will be remembered for his uncompromising integrity, incisive wit, love of travel and adventure, and immense compassion and generosity.
A native New Yorker, Bill grew up in Manhattan and graduated from Browning College Preparatory School. Bill earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College, where he thrived as a member of the soccer and ski teams. Bill then served with distinction as a Captain, Military Intelligence Division, in the United States Army and later returned home to earn his M.B.A. from Columbia University. Bill's professional career brought him from New York to Indonesia, San Francisco and scores of other countries in Europe and Asia, and included leadership positions at E.F. Hutton & Co., Shearson Lehman Brothers, Eastdil Realty, Bankers Trust Company, and Sunbelt Communications. In 1991, Bill co-founded Sterling Investment Partners, a private investment firm based in Westport, CT, where he served as a Managing Partner and as Chairman or Director of numerous companies, including Aavid Thermal Technologies, American Buildings Company, Cambridge International, Euro Outlet Malls, Miller Heiman, Tidewater Holdings, U.S. Maintenance and Washington Inventory Service. Bill spent the final twenty-six years of his life in the Westport community.
Bill's wide-ranging philanthropic interests included a focus on giving back to America's service members, dogs and his beloved Dartmouth College. Bill served as a director of the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation until his passing. Bill was also a longtime supporter of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind and America's VetDogs, an organization that trains service dogs for military veterans.Bill enjoyed many sports, but especially sailing, tennis, baseball and skiing. An avid and expert skier, Bill cherished his time on the mountain. He first learned to ski at five years old in Lake Tahoe and immediately fell in love with the sport. His passion for the slopes lasted throughout his life and brought him to the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, Dartmouth, and a bevy of ski trips with his friends and family.
Above all, Bill was devoted to his family – his adoring wife Jane and their two sons, Joe and Josh, of whom he was immensely proud. They traveled together regularly, most often to ski, and enjoyed numerous spirited family tennis matches. In his quieter moments, Bill preferred just to be at home with his family, listening to New York baseball on his antique headset while playing with his four-legged best friends.
Bill is predeceased by his parents, Ellen Selden and Walter Selden; brother, Peter Selden; and nephew, Lucas Kaempfer. Bill is survived by his wife, Jane; sons, Joe and Josh; daughters-in-law, Courtney and Dominique; grandchildren, Cooper and Ellie; cousin, Joey Kaempfer; and niece, Annie Kaempfer. They all love and miss him immensely. He was one of a kind.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Bill's honor to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation (https://www.mc-lef.org/) or the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind (https://www.guidedog.org/).
Published in Westport News from Feb. 18 to Feb. 23, 2018
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