At the Academy, Bill excelled both militarily and academically and as a result he was on the Supt's List for five of eight semesters. He represented us well as an Honor Rep and served as Commander of Cadet Squadron 5. Following graduation, Bill went to Reese AFB TX for pilot training. He and Donna (CU grad/Navy brat) met on a blind date at the beginning of Bill's first class year and got married at the Cadet Chapel a week before pilot training graduation. After earning his wings, Bill was off to Viet Nam and was an AC-119G "Shadow" Gunship pilot with the 17th Special Operations Squadron (Who Knows What Evil Lurks? - The Shadow Knows) Fighting C Flight at Tan Son Nhut Air Base; Saigon, Republic of Vietnam. After Bill's combat tour in VietNam, he was assigned to Travis AFB in California where he flew the C-141A and C-5A with the 7th and 22nd Military Airlift Squadrons.

During his assignment at Travis, Bill decided to change his Air Force career field from operations (pilot) to legal (lawyer). He attended the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento CA, graduating in 1976 with a Juris Doctor (JD). Bill did his first year of law school as a night student while he was still flying the C-5, and then was selected for the first class of the Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP), and completed his last 2 years of law school as a full time AFIT student. After receiving his JD degree it was off to Sheppard AFB, TX where he served as a prosecutor and, later, as an Area Defense Counsel. Bill then moved to Ramstein AB, Germany where he served as the Chief Circuit Trial Counsel for USAF Trial Judiciary. In this capacity, he was the chief Air Force trial counsel in Europe and traveled extensively throughout USAFE prosecuting general courts-martial at virtually every U.S. air base in Europe. Returning stateside in 1981 to McConnell AFB, KS Bill served as the Staff Judge Advocate for the 381st Combat Support Group. In 1984 he was assigned to Lowry AFB, CO serving as the Chief Circuit Defense Council, 4th Circuit. He supervised 3 full time trial defense counsel at Lowry and all Area Defense Counsel in a ten state region. Bill also actively defended numerous general courts and flying evaluation boards during his four year stint at Lowry. Retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 1988, Bill embarked on a career as a civilian trial attorney at Kelly, Stansfield & O'Donnell and then as a partner with Kerber & Sasz in Denver, CO. In 1998 Bill joined the firm of Sherman & Howard in Colorado Springs. His 35 year legal career has been almost exclusively as a trial attorney and civil litigator with over 200 criminal and civil jury trials.

In 1998 Bill conceived of the idea and led a group of three other investors, including AFA grad Eric Howell (Class of 1971), to open Jack Quinn Irish Alehouse and Pub in downtown Colorado Springs. Getting into the Irish pub business was the result of Bill and Donna's trips to Ireland, where they learned to love the charm and ambiance of pubs on the Emerald Isle, and decided to open one of their own in Colorado. The pub showcased the better aspects of fine Irish dining and hearty imbibing with entertainment by Irish balladeers and talented dancers, thus quickly becoming a sought-after night spot in town. Bill is the managing partner and he and Donna operate the business, which has become a staple of the downtown bar and restaurant scene in Colorado Springs. The shopfront and interior of the pub are the product and design of a Dublin company and virtually everything inside the pub comes from Ireland and was built and installed by Irish craftsmen.

Several times since its opening, Jack Quinn has won awards for best gathering spot for military members and best nightclub in town. After six successful years, two of the venture capitalists Bill had encouraged to invest in the pub, declared their intentions to sell their shares as a return on their investments. In 2004, Bill, Eric Howell and two of Bill's '68 class and squadronmates, Bob Denny and Bob Johnston, bought out the other owners and Jack Quinn's is now fully owned by USAFA grads.Jack Quinn has hosted dozens of USAFA reunion affairs and other such events and has become the honored gathering place for firemen and their families who visit annually from around the world to commemorate...at the International Fallen Firefighters (IAFF) Memorial...those who lost their lives in the previous year. The fire companies’ bagpipe bands gather directly in front of Jack Quinn’s at the culmination of a spectacular three-day celebration. Bill has proudly positioned Jack Quinn as a central location for civic leaders, AOG chapters, and other groups to gather for great Irish meals and other fare.

Bill and Donna are the proud parents of Bryan, Stephanie and Jeffrey. Bryan is a subcontract administrator at Northrop-Grumman in Colorado Springs. Stephanie is a program administrator for the Fulbright Scholarship Program in Denver. Jeff lives in Chicago and works for Harpo Productions (Oprah Winfrey) in the production department. Bryan and Jeff, along with Donna, are Univ. of Colorado/Boulder grads and Stephanie graduated from Colorado State, making for a complicated and competitive situation in the Sasz family during the college football season. Bill and Donna love to travel and enjoy frequent trips to their condo in Vero Beach, Florida, as well as getting back to Europe whenever the opportunity arises.

Click on thumbnails for larger images and descriptions.

Bill and Donna - we're proud of you!

July 2011