UNSUNG HEROES 2023
Leadership & Dedication
Dezarn devotes most of life to city service
Page 6
By Nita Johnson | Staff Writer
London is not the town where Bill Dezarn grew up , but it ’ s the town he calls home - a town that has benefitted immensely from his leadership and dedication .
Dezarn has been a faithful and willing public servant for the City of London for over 55 years , serving on numerous boards and commissions and always striving to see that the town he now calls home continues to prosper .
It was 1968 when the Dezarn family - Bill , wife Marvis and 2 young children - came to London after Bill landed a job with Con-Tel , the local phone company . He had just finished a two-year stint in the U . S . Army and the new job brought him to an area where his name became well known among the citizens of the area .
Dezarn worked for Con-Tel for 25 years , taking an early retirement just as the company merged and became known as Verizon . He juggled his duties at the phone company over the years while providing for his family - and becoming involved with local clubs and then delving into politics .
“ I was a member of the Kiwanis Club and someone told me about a vacancy on city council . Robert Dyche had resigned because he ’ d gotten elected as Judge . So I put my name in there ,” Dezarn said . “ I lost - only by 14 votes . It was to fill the remainder of Judge Dyche ’ s term .”
But the following term in 1978 ,