Mr. Bill Gates, Sr. graduated from OCS Class 413-45, 24 February 1945 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. He was subsequently deployed to the Pacific Theater towards the end of World War II. He served with the 77th Division and the 1st Cavalry Division as part of the occupation forces in Japan. Initially he was stationed in Hokkaido and later transferred to Tokyo. He was honorably discharge as a First Lieutenant in November 1946. | Using his GI Bill benefits he graduated from the University of Washington with a BS degree in 1949 and an LLB degree in 1950. He would be co-founder and named partner for the law firm Preston, Gates and Ellis from 1964-1997. He served as President of the Washington State Bar Association and was recognized as a University of Washington Law School Distinguished graduate in 1991. His contributions to the profession of law have been recognized by the many awards he has received. Awards Include: American Judicature Society Herbert Harley Award in 1992; Washington State Bar Award of Merit in 1992; American Lawyer-Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005; American Bar Association Medal in 2009. | Beginning in 1994 he turned his attention to the visionary distribution of philanthropy starting with the William H. Gates Foundation and then the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 where he served as co-chair of the Foundation. For more than two decades he devoted his life to the thoughtful and challenging work of providing the greatest benefit globally from the largest philanthropic foundation in our nation. This commitment resulted in his travels around the world in mostly underserved nations working to partner and leverage other global organizations, foreign governments and likeminded philanthropic organizations to create the most benefit to the most people worldwide. His tireless work has been recognized by many both here and abroad. Some awards Mr. Gates has received include: the Winston Churchill Leadership Award in 2006; the Humanitarian Millennium Leadership Award, United Nations Association in 2010; Arthur S. Langlie Award for Visionary Leadership, The Salvation Army in 2010; the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service in 2012; he Beacon Award for Visionary Philanthropy, United Way of King County in 2013. Awards listed are but a fraction of the honors that he has earned from a lifetime of selfless service to his profession, his nation and to the greater global community. | Mr. Gates has also co-authored two books to include Showing up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime.