By Patric Hedlund, TME

William “Radio Bill” Hopper may have had a modest bank account, but he was a wealthy man when it came to good deeds, good humor and good friendships. He was everyone’s grand-uncle.

Everywhere you looked, if you were involved in community life over the past 10 years, you’d see his shyly smiling face. Most of us didn’t know how old he was. He was just one of those people who shows up to help when help is needed.

He was president of the Lebec County Water District, a member of the TriCounty Watchdogs, mainstay of the Pine Mountain Amateur Radio Club, a member of Friends of the Library, tutor to those seeking their FCC HAM radio license, mentor to young people seeking to learn to play chess and volunteer for packing food distribution boxes.

Hopper was admitted to the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center covid ward in Los Angeles on July 7. That was when we learned he had …(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

To help revive the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council, Lebec County Water District President William Hopper, with directors of all other mountain water companies, CERT volunteers, Search & Rescue, new residents, concerned families and firefighters from Kern, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, plus the USFS, all turned out February 23, 2020. Hopper was always there to help.

Left: Then-vice president of the Lebec County Water District Board William Hopper and (center) LCWD President Sam Stern stood up for equal votes for the people of Lebec in forming a groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) with Tejon RanchCorp and the Tejon Castac Water District. Hopper and Stern went on to negotiate a long-term contract to secure water for the high school, and a $6 million state grant to build the infrastructure.

Left: William Hopper joined local volunteers to pack boxes of food for the Salvation Army Commodities, before covid came along.

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This is part of the September 4, 2020 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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