William Caire

William "Bill" Caire was born in Savannah, Georgia on November 3, 1946, and passed away on January 17, 2026.

His father was in the Air Force, so his childhood homes included many places in Georgia, Florida, and several Texas cities, including Austin, San Antonio, Harlingen, El Paso, and Big Spring. His father was stationed in France for three years, where his mother scraped every penny to take the family across Europe. She spurred his passion for learning during this time by exposing him to art and history and even spending nights for free in a jail and a castle. This was also the time when he had his first experiences exploring caves which, unbeknownst to him, would play a big role in his future.

In 1966, after graduating from Big Spring High School in Big Spring, Texas, Bill earned an Associate's degree in Biology from Howard County Junior College. In 1969 he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Texas Tech University. During the Vietnam War he enlisted and served for a year in the United States Navy, training to become a Naval Aviator. After his service, he returned to Texas and taught junior high school science for a semester before quickly returning to his own schooling, earning a Master of Science in Zoology from North Texas State University in 1972 and a Ph.D. in Mammalian Ecology from the University of New Mexico in 1978.

From 1976 to 2016, Bill taught as a professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Central Oklahoma. He served as Dean of the College of Mathematics and Science from 1999 to 2005. Of his numerous publications, the book Mammals of Oklahoma is the definitive reference and field guide to the state's rich mammalian diversity. Throughout his 40 years at UCO, Dr. Caire's passion for teaching and learning and his innate (often described as childlike) curiosity inspired numerous students to participate in research, pursue careers in biology, and become lifelong learners. Bill became a leading authority on Oklahoma's bats and willingly shared his expertise with his students and the community where he became widely known as the "Batman". He often took his children on adventures throughout Oklahoma where they explored caves, trapped mice, and netted bats.

In 1998, Bill founded the university's biological field station, the Selman Living Lab, in the Gypsum Hills of northwestern Oklahoma. Over many years, he developed it into a facility that supports research and education about bats and other mammals, caves, plants, geology, and astronomy. In recognition of his teaching and the development of the Selman Living Lab, Bill was the recipient of the Oklahoma Medal for Excellence in Regional University Teaching in 2016.

After his retirement, Bill was generous with his time, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and delivering donated food from grocery stores to the BritVil Community Food Pantry.

Bill will be remembered as a kind and amazingly creative person with an incredible sense of humor, a generous collaborator with colleagues, a helpful mentor to younger faculty, and a loving father, brother, and husband. He made life more interesting for everyone who knew him.

He is survived by his wife, Gloria; brother Beau and wife, Paula, of Warrenton, Virginia; three sons with his wife Ruth: Will and wife, Allison, of Dallas, Texas; Jake and wife, Amy, of Olathe, Kansas; and Sam of Austin, Texas; a stepson with his wife, Gloria: Dylan Sather and wife, Lauren, of San Francisco, California; and grandchildren David, Annie, Peter, Sarah, Caden, Emery, Adie, and Maya. He is also survived by thousands of creative doodles, one per day for the past several years, that he shared with family each morning. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, James Andrew Caire and Anna Rahn Caire, and his brother Andrew.

A celebration of Bill's life will take place in the Ballroom of the Nigh University Center at the University of Central Oklahoma at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dr. William Caire Selman Living Lab Endowed Scholarship Fund or to the Selman Living Lab Fund at the University of Central Oklahoma https://www.centralconnection.org/drcaire.