William Bivens

William Stone Bivens, a longtime Taos business owner and community leader, passed away at the age of 88 on May 18, 2023.  He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Shirley Belz Bivens, daughter Frances Bivens, a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in New York, and her husband, Kenneth Karas, son Dr. Alexander Bivens, a clinical psychologist on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, and his wife, Dr. Marie Terry Bivens, and grandchildren Pierce Bivens, Francesca Bivens, Isabella Bivens, Nathan Karas and Jackson Karas.

Bill was born in 1934 in Atlanta, Georgia to Jay Bivens and Freda Stone Bivens.  He grew up in Wilkes-Barre and Wyomissing, Pennsylvania and Kansas City, Missouri, and spent time in New Martinsville, West Virginia, where his mother grew up, and where her sisters Nell and Billie and their families lived during World War II.  Bill was active in the Boy Scouts of America and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. 

Bill attended Brown University in Providence, RI, graduating in 1956, cum laude, with High Honors in Classics.  After college, Bill joined the Navy and was a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, with top secret assignments in cryptography and secure communications on the Staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific and Pacific Fleet, and served as an officer on the USS Galveston, a Guided Missile Cruiser.

Bill worked in New York after his service at the Traveler’s Insurance Company and worked on the campaign of New York City Mayor Lindsey.  He taught Classics at the Roxbury Latin School in Boston, MA, was the Assistant Headmaster of the Wheeler School in Providence, RI and the Vice President of Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.

While at Hood College, Bill headed a project to computerize the campus, which led to a career in the computer business when the company on the project, Digital Systems, brought him on board.  Bill was on the forefront of using electronic imaging to archive documents, and founded his own company, Image Data Systems, which performed major projects in the Washington, DC area for government agencies including Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Drug Enforcement Agency, and companies including Northrup Grumman, CACI, and the IIT Research Institute.

Bill and Shirley were married on April 20, 1991, in Reston, VA, where they lived until they moved to Taos in 2000.  Shirley is an accomplished artist and showed her work at the Open Space Gallery in Taos.  Bill started a business in Taos, Mountain Home Repair, and worked to support a number of Taos community organizations.  Bill was the Vice-President and on the Board of Directors of the Taos Chamber Music Group and co-produced the Art of the Book project for the Millicent Rogers Museum.  Bill was a serious amateur photographer, hiking enthusiast and environmental activist, and was involved in a number of projects for the Taos Land Trust.  Bill also volunteered his time at the St. James Episcopal Church Food Pantry.

Bill was a prolific storyteller with a wonderful sense of humor and had a smile that lit up the room.  He was beloved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed.

A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held at El Monte Sagrado, 317 Kit Carson Road, Taos on June 16 at 4 pm.  All are welcome.

Arrangements by Rivera Family Funeral Home. To share a memory, please visit our website at www.riverafuneralhome.com