- Date Of Birth: November 1, 1933
- Date Of Death: July 20, 2016
- State: Illinois
William C. “Bill” Gaines, 82, of Munster, Indiana; formerly of Lansing, Illinois and Indianapolis, Indiana; passed away on July 20th, 2016. He is survived by his devoted wife of 54 years, Nellie Gaines, nee Gilyan; children: Michael (Tina) Gaines, Michelle Gaines, Matthew (Debbie) Gaines; Grandchildren: Christopher Galocy, Danielle, Emily, William, Nicholas, and Jacob Gaines; and many loving nieces and nephews.
Bill earned a Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1956. After graduating from Butler he served in the US Army for two years, during which he worked for Armed Forces Radio in Germany. He held several broadcasting positions in Michigan and Indiana. In 1963, Bill became a reporter for the Chicago Tribune and then an investigative reporter in 1974. During his career at the Chicago Tribune, Bill earned two Pulitzer Prizes in 1976 and 1988. He was also a finalist for two Pulitzer Prizes in 1979 and 1995. He has earned numerous awards over the years from the Illinois United Press International, Illinois Associated Press, Chicago Headline Club, and the Chicago Society of Black Journalists, Digital Age, and the Chicago Tribune.
After retiring from the Chicago Tribune, Bill was named Knight Chair in Journalism at the University of Illinois in which he held that position until 2007. He also taught investigative reporting at Columbia College in Chicago for over two decades while working at the Chicago Tribune. He is the author of a textbook “Investigative Reporting For Print and Broadcast” and is co-author of a book “Jelly’s Blues”.
Bill was an extraordinary husband, father, grandfather, and uncle. Bill is best known for his kindness, integrity, humility, and generosity. He is preceded in death by his brother-in-law, Ben Gilyan; brother, Donald Gaines; and parents, Philip and Georgia Gaines.
