Regitz Early Life

Locustdale, PA

Bill Regitz was born in 1939 in Locustdale, Pennsylvania. Locustdale was known for its coal mining careers and oportunities. The Regitz family was made up of six children. Bill is the fourth born child out of the six. Bill's father was a coal miner and his mother stayed at home and raised their children. Although his family was poor, Bill's parents did everything they could to provide for their children. Bill, along with his brother, ran a “business” where they would build wooden objects and sell them around their neighborhood. Regitz gained experience in sales this early in life. Not only was this a way to earn money, Bill learned that he enjoyed crafting.

In 1954, at the age of 15, Bill lost his father. His mother raised his siblings and himself after that. She would teach her children the value of education and the value working hard to achieve your goals. These principles would influence Regitz in the long run. 

Bill Regitz (on left) standing for a picture with their brother dressed in Navy uniforms.

Bill grew up in a relatively poor family. Neither parent had graduated from high school. So, Regitz’s mother raised her children with the objective to make sure all of them graduated from high school. Regitz attended Locustdale for three years in early elementary before moving to Centralia. In high school, Bill enjoyed studying math and science and spent a lot of time in the wood and metal shop. In the wood and metal shop, he discovered the enjoyment of building and creating.

While attending high school, Bill Regitz had many jobs to support himself. He worked as a short-order cook and dishwasher at the Boulevard Drive-in. Bill's mother would encourage him to perform well in his courses to improve his future. 

Portrait of young Bill Regitz. 

After grade school, he took many job opportunities. Bill knew that his mother could not afford to pay for his college tuition. At the time, he didn't think college was an option. Regitz says in an interview with Rachel Stewart in 1999, "I couldn't see a way that that would happen, because I didn't see where the money would come from. So I didn't set college as one of my goals."

Regitz would go to New Jersey to stay with his older sister for other job oportunities. Bill also began another job in New Jersey at a plastic factor. Eventually, his brother-in-law was able to get him a job at Hyayy Roller Bearing. He was laid off in 1958 but was able to find another job working construction.

However, Regitz was unhappy working these jobs. He thought, "this isn't the way it's going to be for me the rest of my life." This lead him to begin investigating DeVry Technical Institute.