I returned this post to the top of the page after adding new information on donations in memory of Tumbling Bill (see below) — Paul
Bill Panton, aka Tumbling Bill, passed earlier this week. Bill was an Englishman, a long-time Hash House Harrier who lived and hashed in Malaysia and the United States. He started hashing in the mid-1950s with Kuala Lumpur H3. He later founded the Washington DC H3 (1972) and Bangkok H3 (1977). All the original hash founders are gone; Bill was one of the very few surviving veterans of the second generation, those who started hashing in post-war Malaysia, back in the days when KLH3 was the only hashing club in the world.
I was fortunate to have met Bill and even more fortunate to have hashed with him: once in DC with the club he founded, and once in Tucson when he visited the club I founded (to which Bill gave his blessing and pronounced good … one of the proudest moments in my hashing life).
Bill is fourth from the left in this photo, taken on a Monday evening several years ago in Tucson, Arizona, at the weekly running of the Pima County Traditional Hash House Harriers.
In the hashing world, Bill will be remembered as the father of the Hash House Harriers Genealogy Project*, which traces the origins of every known club and chapter back to “mother,” the Kuala Lumpur H3, founded in 1938. A considerable part of hashing’s history might have gone down the memory hole without the inspiration and hard work of Bill Panton, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for preserving it.
On On, Tumbling Bill, and here’s to a life well-lived!
*The Genealogy of the Hash House Harriers is currently maintained by the Hash Heritage Foundation, another of Bill Panton’s projects, an organization run by a board of trustees (all hashers) dedicated to the preservation of hash heritage and the rebuilding of the original “hash house,” the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur.
Update (7/31/19): The following information was posted yesterday to hash-l by Tumbling Bill’s DCH3 hashmates:
Greetings,
Many of you have inquired about making a donation in memory of Bill.
The family suggests you consider the Hash Heritage Foundation. [HHF].
Donations in memory of Ralph Wadsworth can also be made to HHF.
One of the goals of the HHF is to build a ” Hash House” near the original site in KL on land donated by the Malaysian Government.
Bill helped start the HHF and was Founding Trustee.
The Hash House will have space to display Bill’s extensive Hash Genealogy work and the bar will be named in honor of him.
In order to reduce the trouble and expense of the international transfer of money, Bob Bishop (aka F. Squid) and I will be receiving donations here in the US.
All money collected by Sept. 15 will be sent to KL in a lump sum. Any donations received after Sept.15 will be returned.
Bob and I will be absorbing all foreign transaction fees so that 100% of your donations will go to building the Hash House. Note: donations to the HHF are not tax deductible in the US.
To better ensure a proper accounting of donations, check or Pay Pal is preferred. However, cash will not be refused. If you pay by check or cash, please include your email address so your gift can be properly acknowledged.
Checks should be made payable to Robert Bishop and can either be hand delivered to him or mailed to him at 1232 River Bay Road, Annapolis, MD 21409.
Pay Pal can be sent to me, Bill Singleton–hashwillie@aol.com.
Please share this message with your respective kennels. Thanks.
On On
Willie
DCH3 Hashbassador
Always a gentlemen I remember Bill fondly. We hashed together for many years and seemed to pick up exactly where we left off. His hash genealogy was a labor of love, it was always fun to look up kennels we’d run with and see the connections. He’ll be missed.
On-On Bill!
I met Bill a number of times. When the Interhash was in Kuala Lumpur he kindly invited me for lunch at the Selangor Chambers (Hash House). Also in attendance was the late John Duncan, also a very well know hash personality and long time member of Mother Hash. On On in the sky, Bill.
I’ve just seen this for the first time while wandering through the Hash sites.
Bill Panton was one of the two Joint Masters when I was On Sec of the Kuala Lumpur Hash in the late sixties/early seventies. With the Hash Cash, these were the only management positions in the Mother Hash (or of the couple of other Hashes in existence then) and it always worked like a dream – no bullshit like that which appears to be the case nowadays. The Hon Sec was one of the Joint Masters in the year after his On Sec tenure.
Bill was a great guy.