William E. Lass was bom November 27, 1928 in Beresford, South Dakota. He graduated from high school in Beresford and enlisted in the U.S. Army where he spent most of his two years in Japan. He went to college on the G.I. Bill in the Fall of 1948 at the University of South Dakota at Vermillion. After graduating with a degree in history Lass was called back into the Army to serve another two years in Alaska. He retumed to the University of South Dakota where he graduated with a master's degree and then went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with his Ph.D. Lass came to Mankato State College in the Fall of 1960 to teach Minnesota history and was a faculty member in the History department until he retired in 2002. His accomplishments include creating the University Archives; the creation of the Southem Minnesota Historical Center in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society; and winning a national competition to write the Minnesota state history book, Minnesota: A Bicentennial History. Lass married Marilyn Lass in 1955. During their time in Mankato Marilyn was a librarian at Mankato State College. They have two children, Barbara and William. William is a graduate of Mankato State University.