Giving
Born April 26, 1922 and raised in the Parkersburg area, Mr. Dils attended Wood County schools and graduated from Parkersburg High School in June of 1940. Following graduation, he attended Yale University, where he received his BS, and he later completed course work at Harvard, MIT, Cambridge University in England, and the University of Kentucky.
Mr. Dils began working for the family business, The Dils Brothers & Company Department Store, in 1947, and over the years held several positions including Controller, Treasurer, President, and Director. He also has served as a Director of the Community Bank of Parkersburg, the President of the Interstate Dry Good Syndicate, and the President of the West Virginia Retailers Association, and he was on the Board of Directors at the National Retail Dry Goods Association.
Mr. Dils was influential in the creation and growth of many organizations in our community, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Parkersburg Rotary Club, Wood County Development Authority, and Area Roundtable. The YMCA was of particular interest to Mr. Dils. As a young man in 1948, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the YMCA, and he continued to serve on the board through most of his lifetime.
Mr. Dils played a key role in the founding of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation. He assisted Mr. Albert Wolfe with the creation of the Foundation, and he served as its first chairman from 1963 to 1968. Mr. Dils served on the Foundation's Board of Governors until 1988 after which he became the volunteer Executive Director. In 1993, upon his retirement as Executive Director, the Foundation honored Mr. Dils with a reception at the Parkersburg Country Club. More than 200 people attended the event, with all proceeds going to the creation of the Dils Community Support Fund. This fund is one small way to thank Mr. Dils for all that he has done for the Foundation and the community.