William Lotter is a Professor Emeritus and retired coach at UC Davis, and an international human rights activist.
Will earned his BA in Physical Education from UC Berkeley in 1949, his Masters in Education from California State University, Sacramento in 1955, and his Doctorate in Education at UC Berkeley in 1960. He was a faculty member and coach in the Physical Education Department at UC Davis from 1952 to 1993. From 1975 to 1993, he taught the health education courses at UCD required by the State of California for students at Davis obtaining a teaching credential. His most recent coaching experience was as men's varsity soccer coach from 1972 to 1987. He entered the UC Davis Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.
International service
Will served in the Peace Corps from 1965-1967 as Deputy Director and then Country Director in Malawi, Africa, while on leave from UC Davis. He spent one month in Nepal on behalf of Peace Corps to visit PCV posts. He served as training Director for Peace Corps Nepal training programs in the summer of 1967. Will returned to his tenured faculty position at UC Davis in September 1967.
Will observed the 1990 Nicaraguan election as an independent journalist. From March to June, 1994, Will served as a UN International Election Observer in Malawi, Africa with International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES). In 1996 he served as a UN Election Observer with IFES for the presidential election in Nicaragua.
Awards and Honors
Will has received numerous awards and honors for his service to the community and the world. Will was honored as Davis Citizen of the Year in 1971. With wife, Jane, Will received the City of Davis Peace and Justice Award in 1991, the Liberty Bell award for work in civil liberties and human rights from the Yolo County Bar Association in 1993, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Davis Martin Luther King Scholarship Committee in 2005.
