William Lee Hemphill

A memorial service will be held on Monday February 27, 2012 at 2pm at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Memorial gifts are requested to be made to the charity of the donor’s choice. The family will visit with friends following the service in the Rowe Library at the church.

Hemphill is survived by his wife Joan and by their two sons: Lee and his wife Elsbeth, of London, England, and Ross and his wife Pamela, of Greensboro. He is also survived by four grandchildren: Robert, Jennifer, Stephanie and Will, all of Greensboro.

Hemphill was best known for his role at United Guaranty Corporation, the mortgage insurer, being one of the founders in 1963. He served as President and CEO from 1972 until retirement in 1987. During that period the company expanded, by acquisition and internal growth, from a small regional insurer to a national company.

In 1981 Hemphill negotiated a merger of United Guaranty into American International Group, Inc. (AIG), headquartered in New York. Before retirement he served also as a director of AIG, as chairman of Bond Investors Guaranty in New York, as a director of Cone Mills and numerous other companies.

Hemphill served three terms as President of Mortgage Insurance Companies of America, a Washington-based industry organization which he helped form.

Prior to joining United Guaranty he was Executive Vice President of United Dairies. Previously he was a CPA and a partner of a local firm.

A native and life-long resident of Greensboro, Hemphill was fully involved in economic affairs, the arts, charities, education and politics and was known as a benefactor of charitable, civic, artistic and political causes. He served many years as a director of the Chamber of Commerce and a term as Chairman. The Chamber honored him with its Distinguished Citizen award. He helped organize the Greensboro Development Corporation.

Hemphill was a trustee, then Vice Chairman and Chairman of the board of the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in the period 1977-1992. He took great pride in the development of Cone into a large medical center.

He and his wife Joan were the founding co-chairs of the Greensboro Public Library Foundation. Until his death he was a supporter of the public library system in Greensboro. The Hemphill Branch Library, which emphasizes arts and literacy, is named in honor of Hemphill and his wife.

In the education field, he served as a trustee of North Carolina A&T State University. He was also the first Chairman of the N.C. Advisory Council on Vocational Education during the Scott administration.

During World War II he served with the 8th and 9th Air Forces in England, France and Germany.

Online condolences may be made through www.haneslineberyfuneralhomes.com.