WWII hero, community leader William Sanders dies at age 92

By BILL ARCHER

PRINCETON — William Henry Sanders, a man of strong convictions who often championed unpopular causes, but did so with unflinching personal commitment, died late Wednesday evening at Princeton Community Hospital. He was 92.

A reluctant military hero who received the Navy Cross for his bravery against Japanese forces entrenched in the Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, Sanders was so strongly opposed to any war when he graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1942, that he considered seeking conscientious objector status during World War II, according to biographical material provided by his law offices.

Instead, Sanders joined the U.S. Marine Corps and completed the officers training corps at Quantico, Va., and was sent to the Pacific to serve as reconnaissance officer, Company D, Second Marines, Second Marines Division. Admiral Chester Nimitz, supreme commander of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, personally pinned the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart medals on the seriously wounded Sanders. As soon as he recovered from his wounds, he rejoined his unit for the invasion of Saipan.

“He had been terribly wounded at Tarawa, but the commanding general in Saipan said Mr. Sanders was the best he had at rooting out the Japanese from their positions,” Mercer County Circuit Court Judge Derek Swope said. “He had no quit in him. Whatever the fight was, he would get between the enemy and his friends, and stand up for what was right.” Swope noted that the Marines invaded Saipan on June 6, 1944, a pivotal moment in the war in Europe known as D-Day, and equally pivotal in the Pacific because of Saipan.

After his discharge, Sanders returned to the study of international law, and earned a masters degree at UVA, but more importantly, he met his wife-to-be, Katherine (Little) Sanders, who was a masters degree student in English at UVA. Sanders took Katherine with him to Germany to work for the military government as a civilian, and it was there that the Sanders had their first child, David Hartley Sanders.

Although the family planned to relocate to Washington, D.C., where Sanders could work in the State Department, his father, Hartley Poe Sanders, a Mercer County attorney since 1906, had become ill, and had asked his son to return to help him with his law practice. The Sanders father and son, practiced law together from 1948 to 1952, when the elder Mr. Sanders died at age 73.

“When I joined Mr. Sanders firm in 1973, I knew I was part of a family and part of a greater community,” Lane Austin, senior partner of the Sanders, Austin, Flanigan and Flanigan law firm said. “His wife and his entire family is as much a part of our firm as anyone here. He was a hero, but he was more than a military hero. He was a hero to humble, hard-working people who needed help.”

Sanders didn’t chose an easy path. “He was a patriot on the field of battle overseas and he stood up for what was right when he returned home,” Swope said. “He made a principled stance in the 1950s and ‘60s on civil rights, which wasn’t a popular position at the time. He stood up for tolerance and equality for everybody. He prided himself on representing the humble and the poor. He was a strong advocate for people.”

Austin recalled the hard days of the early 1970s, when Sander’s unpopular position with regards to civil rights and racial equality made it difficult for the firm to work in Mercer County. “Most of our cases were outside Mercer County,” Austin said. “When we went into a trial, we were thoroughly prepared. We would interview witnesses as many as four times. He was an absolute bulldog in the courtroom. It was an honor for me just to watch him at work.”

Sanders’ commitment to racial equality earned him respect in the African American community. “I considered William to be a good friend,” Bluefield attorney J. Franklin Long said. “When I began practicing law in Bluefield in 1977, he befriended me. He was the only one of the majority legal community who did that.

“He is the only majority law firm that talked to me about becoming an employee,” Long said. “We also talked about the early history of the community. He was really interested in learning all he could about the black community.

“During the 1960s, he helped Bluefield State College students,” Long said. “He wasn’t an advisor, but the black students knew we could go to him if we needed advice. I had the utmost respect for him.

“He also worked hard at his profession,” Long said. “I can remember about five years ago when we both attended a West Virginia Trial Lawyers’ Association seminar. He was there with his wife. He was probably about 87 years old at the time, but he was still learning about the law. He was the only one I knew of in the majority who saw something wrong with segregation and spoke out against it.”

Mercer County Circuit Court Judge Omar Aboulhosn joined the Sanders’ firm in 1994. “He wasn’t actively practicing at the time, but I learned so much from all of the attorneys that worked with him,” Aboulhosn said. “One of the greatest honors of my legal career was working with William Sanders.

“I am truly blessed to have not only known Mr. Sanders, but for having the privilege of working with him for nearly 15 years. I learned so much about our community and the history of Mercer County because of him. He will truly be missed not just by me, but by the community as a whole.”

Aboulhosn, Swope, former Mercer County Circuit Court Judge John Frazier, Wyoming County Circuit Court Judge Warren McGraw, former state Supreme Court justice and many others worked with Sanders for a time before moving to the bench. But Sanders was also a successful businessman who owned and operated Holiday Inn motels in both Princeton and Bluefield for a time. He was also an historian with an incomparable depth of understanding the region and its people. He authored 14 books on regional history, and was working on his 15th — a book on Matoaka — at the time of his death.

“We’re at a great loss today,” Lois Miller, president of the Mercer County Historical Society said. “I don’t think anyone in Mercer County knows how hard he worked to preserve the region’s history. I’m at a loss for words. He was like my best friend. He was my leader in preserving the area’s history. We are suffering a great loss.”

Gov. Joe Manchin extended his condolences to the community. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they go through this difficult time,” Manchin said. “William Sanders was active in this community for many, many years and he will be missed.”

In addition to his wife Katherine, Sanders is survived by his four children, David Hartley Sanders Mary Hylton Sanders, William Henry Sanders III, and Katherine Todd Koerner. The family will receive friends at the home from 3-6 p.m., today with services Saturday at 10 a.m., at the Church of the Heavenly Rest Episcopal Church in Princeton.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com