2024 Heroes of Hospitality: Bill Dow
April 14, 1936 - Sept. 13, 2022
Bill was a business leader, entrepreneur, historian, boat builder and captain, and staunch advocate for the best interests of Lake George.
Like his father Wilbur, he had a pioneering spirit and a total commitment to keeping the waters of Lake George crystal clear.
Their family company, the Lake George Steamboat Co., is one of the oldest, continuously operating passenger boat services in the world, with one fleet at Lake George and a second in New Orleans.
Bill's contributions to tourism ensured a better life for employees of the Steamboat Co. and the hundreds of thousands of visitors who viewed Bill's beloved lake from the deck of one of the boats.
A Navy veteran, Bill came to Lake George in 1964. In addition to the Minne-Ha-Ha, the Lac du Saint Sacrement, and the Mohican, Bill also commissioned the Ticonderoga, a barge used by the Village of Lake George for weekly fireworks shows over the village since 2003.
He served on the Village Board and the Town of Lake George Planning Board. He was a past president of the Lake George Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Lake George Winter Carnival Committee.