He also is a survivor. From fleeing the invasion of Japanese armies on his hometown of Hankow, China in 1937, surviving four years as a World War II prisoner of war and leading one of the world’s most well-known companies back to health, Mr. Anderson has faced overwhelming challenges with strength, fortitude and wisdom.

It was similar determination that helped fuel the growth of The Dayton Foundation in the early 1980s, when he, along with his wife, Janice, created the Foundation’s first donor-advised fund.

At that time, Frederick C. Smith, emeritus member and former chair of the Foundation’s Governing Board, and Frederick Bartenstein III, former director of the Foundation, were setting the stage to take the Foundation from virtual obscurity, with less than $5 million in assets, to a truly modern community foundation designed to assist a broad cross section of donors and to benefit the entire Miami Valley region.

“Bill Anderson was and is a catalyst for innovation in Dayton, most particularly with the establishment of his and his wife’s advised fund, a key event in the rebirth of the Foundation during the 1980s,” said Michael M. Parks, president of The Dayton Foundation. “Thanks to his visionary thinking and his example, the Foundation now has among its 2,200-plus funds, more than 100 donor-advised funds representing over $20 million.”

“The benefits of establishing an advised fund far outweighed the hassles and regulations of setting up a private foundation,” Mr. Anderson recalled. “And best of all, The Dayton Foundation does all the work for me. Initially this included researching non-mainstream organizations that do good work but need financial support.”

According to Fred Bartenstein, who worked extensively with the Andersons in creating their fund, Mr. Anderson was one of the first major stakeholders in the “new” Dayton Foundation that he, Fred Smith and the Governing Board were formulating at that time.

“By establishing this donor-advised fund, Mr. Anderson gave the Foundation his Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, so to speak,” Mr. Bartenstein said. “This was an important first step in getting other donors to recognize the value of the Foundation and, ultimately, helping the Foundation take a stronger leadership role in the community.”

Through the William S. and Janice R. Anderson Fund (donor-advised), as well as their Charitable Checking AccountSM (established in 1986), the Andersons have provided more than $1.6 million to charitable organizations in Dayton and throughout the United States. Their grants reflect their broad philanthropic interests, most particularly in the arts, health, social services and education.

In many ways, Bill Anderson brought a radically new way of thinking, not just to NCR and The Dayton Foundation, but to Dayton as well.

“While the general sentiment regarding downtown Dayton in the late 1970s and early 1980s was ‘the last one to leave, turn out the lights,’ Bill Anderson was there to help spearhead major efforts to keep the city alive and moving forward, particularly in the arts,” Fred Bartenstein recalled.

“Dayton always has been fortunate to have a rich and diverse arts community,” Bill Anderson said. “But funding from private sources was very competitive.”

To help resolve this situation, he and Virginia Kettering established The Dayton Performing Arts Fund in 1974 as a way of managing and distributing private, charitable funds. Today the fund is part of Culture Works, the largest private source of general operating support for the performing arts in Greater Dayton.

“The creation of this fund (Culture Works) showed immense foresight and understanding of our community,” said Denise Rehg, president and CEO of Culture Works, which currently is celebrating the fund’s 30th anniversary. “The level and quality of the arts in Greater Dayton today is an outcome of such thoughtful and active leadership.”

Since his retirement from NCR in 1984, Mr. Anderson has continued to lend his profound leadership skills to several U.S. and Japanese companies. He also has chaired or served on the boards for numerous local, national and international organizations, most notably the Smithsonian Institution’s National Board, the Smithsonian Institution’s Quadrangle Committee, the National Foreign Trade Council, The Asia Foundation, the Asian Institute of Management and the Dayton Council on World Affairs, among others.

Although he and his wife, Janice, moved to California nine years ago, the Andersons continue to use The Dayton Foundation to facilitate their charitable giving.

“We believe in the good work of The Dayton Foundation,” Bill Anderson said. “I strongly encourage others to give through The Dayton Foundation, which makes such a difference to Dayton.”

According to Mike Parks, “the Andersons’ generosity and utmost compassion for the future well-being of this community will be felt for years to come, not only because of their two funds, but also because of a legacy gift that one day will come to the Foundation.”

“I believe that you should give back to society what you get from it,” Mr. Anderson said. “Instead of leaving a large percentage of your estate to the IRS, why not do something good with your money? We should all give to those who need it most.”