09/25/2026
We are so excited to present our September Volunteer of the Month- William Noack! 🤩
William has been an incredible part of our Society for over a decade, serving as a member of The Board of Directors and helping with all sorts of back end operations. He is also currently in charge of our property rentals, alarm, gate, and interior library maintenance.
William first visited the Sahyun Library in 2013 after seeing an advertisement for our annual open house. Despite living only a few blocks away since 1996, he had never actually been inside! After visiting, William said that he was,”instantly impressed and joined the Society on the spot.”
Since he lived so close to the library, he was also recruited to be in charge of any emergencies or alarm calls. One particularly memorable night began with a fire alarm going off. This led to him having quite the impromptu adventure that included a fire engine and firemen needing to enter the library!
William’s interest in genealogy began very young, when he was 12 or 13. He’d grown up seeing the genealogical research and records his father had done in the 1930s. This interest only grew when his grandmother told him that she knew nothing about one of her grandmothers. This sent William and his mother to the Los Angeles Public Library Genealogy Room and he was able to trace his grandmother’s line back to the Mayflower and even to King Edward I. William said of this “Finding royalty was exciting, especially for a young boy!”
After more than 60 years of pursuing this hobby, William says he still discovers new things. While volunteering at the front desk, he learned one of his great-great-great grandfathers was involved in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia!
William is also an avid book collector, with a library boasting over 35,000 volumes. He recently inherited 200,000 more from a friend, so he will be busy working through those while also thankfully still being involved in our society.
Thank you William for all of the time, knowledge, and behind the scenes work you contribute to SBCGS. We are looking forward to many more years! ❤️
