This fund was established by William and Joan Mendenhall in 2005 for the purpose of supporting the purchase of research materials for the George A. Smathers Libraries relating to Florida’s history.

William was born on April 20, 1925 to William and Helen Mendenhall in Williamsport, PA. He was the founding chairman of the statistics department at the University of Florida and served the department from 1963 until 1977. He received his doctorate in statistics from North Carolina State University and was a professor of mathematics at Bucknell University before coming to UF. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and served in the Navy in the Korean War. He retired as professor emeritus in 1978. During his career, William authored or co-authored approximately 13 statistics textbooks and several about his childhood. He was also an avid tennis player and Gator fan.

Dr. Mendenhall passed away on December 8, 2009. He is survived by his wife Joan, two children and four grandchildren.