William Ayers

William Charles "Bill" Ayers (born 1944) is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and former Chicago community organizer. He is best known as a radical left-wing activist in the 1960's and 70's and founder of the violent terrorist organization the Weatherman group.

Early Life and Upbringing

Ayers grew up in a wealthy home as the son of Thomas G. Ayers, former Chairman and CEO of Commonwealth Edisonin. He lived in Glen Ellyn, a suburb of Chicago. Ayers attended public schools and received a bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1968. At age 21, Ayers became director of the Children's Community, a small school in a basement that did not have grades, reprt cards, and had children address teachers by their first names. It was part of a "free school movement."

Radical History

In 1968, Ayers became leader of the Students for a Democratic Society, and then a prominent leader of the violent "Weatherman group." Ayers and The organization has bombed buildings such as the United States Capitol, The Pentagon, the United States Department of State, and in Greenich Village which had resulted in the death's of three people. In 1969, Ayers planted a bomb at a statue dedicated to police casualties in the 1886 Haymarket Riot. The statue was blew into pieces, but was later rebuilt in 1970. However, it was then blown up again by Ayers, five months later. In a 2001 interviews with the New York Times, Ayers would later say, ""I don't regret setting bombs" and "I feel we didn't do enough."