Dr. William G. Payne, 92, died on May 30, 2007 in Billings, Montana. He was born in Tempe, Arizona, the middle son of Tempe pioneers Ira D. and Frances Gwinn Payne. Educated at Baylor Medical School, Dr. Payne opened a private medical practice in Tempe in 1947. He was a much-loved physician who made house calls and took care of families in the community for forty years, until his retirement in 1988. Dr. Payne served as president of Arizona Blue Shield from 1958 to 1974, and on the Arizona Blue Cross Plan for almost forty years. He was also a long-time member of the Arizona Medical Association, serving as president there, as well. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Payne was known for his support of public education. He served on the Tempe Elementary School Board for nineteen years, and on the Board of Directors of the Arizona School Boards Association for seven years, where he was president in 1968. In 1973 he became president-elect of the National School Boards Association. He also served as president of the Arizona State Board of Regents. In 2000, Dr. Payne received the Hall of Fame Award from the Arizona State University College of Education., Dr. Payne was a navy medical officer in the South Pacific during World War II. He loved scouting, and served as past president of the Theodore Roosevelt Council of Boy Scouts of America, where he received the coveted Silver Beaver Award. He was also a past president of the Arizona State University Alumni Association, and the Tempe Rotary Club. Dr. Payne is survived by his wife of 70 years, Adalynlee Valerie Payne. He leaves five children: William G. Payne, Jr. of Moscow, Idaho; Anne Goldstem of Flagstaff, Arizona; Susatl Lidstrom of Forest Lake, Minnesota; Melinda Payne Sanders of Billings, Montana; and Dan Payne of Gilbert, Arizona.