The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand expresses its deepest condolences to the widow, Khun Paka Mann, family and many friends of Bill Mann, who has died in Bangkok of natural causes after a long illness.
Bill, a Vietnam War veteran who retired in Thailand, was a fixture at the club during the 1980s and early 1990s when it was located atop The Dusit Thani. He had served in three campaigns with the US Army and made himself the club’s unofficial photographer at major events. He was always immensely gregarious and optimistic.
“Bill Mann was one of the most generous, kind-hearted people I have ever met,” said Tom Friend, director of the Retirement Activities Office at JUSMAGTHAI in Bangkok. “It was an honour to have been his friend.”
“Bill was a big brother to me and many others,” said Susanne Robinson, a club member who maintained contact with him after a heart condition curtailed his visits to the FCCT and JUSMAGTHAI.“So, so sorry,” said Denis Gray, the longtime Associated Press bureau chief in Bangkok and former FCCT president.“He had a heart of gold. I remember all the hundreds of photos he took of us, and giving them out free of charge, of course. A truly good man. Saluting you, Bill.”Bill’s cremation took place at Wat Sakorn Sun Prachasun in northern Bangkok at 4pm on Sunday, 24 September, after the Last Post was sounded. The Stars and Stripes were removed from his coffin and presented to his widow by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Commander William Stanley.
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