IOWA CITY, Iowa – William (Bill) Ashton, a former University of Iowa track and cross-country student-athlete, passed away earlier this month at the age of 84.

Ashton was a letterwinner on the Hawkeyes’ cross-country team in 1960, as well as the former University of Iowa Varsity Club president. He continued volunteering countless hours as a track and field official for high school and college athletics. In 2004, Bill and his brother, Jim, helped create the Ashton Cross Country Course in honor of their former Hawkeye coach, Francis X. Cretzmeyer.

A native of Davenport, Iowa, Ashton earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1962, followed by a master’s degree in 1963 from the University of Iowa. He became a highly respected ambassador for the field of engineering, founding the Ashton Engineering Inc. in 1982.