William G. Schinske was born in Union, Illinois. He married Helen Linden on August 5, 1942. William lived in Sycamore since 1920 and was a graduate of Sycamore High School and Northern Illinois University.

He was an electrical engineer at Ideal Industries for 25 years and served as vice president of Engineering and Manufacturing for ITT Holub Industries for 20 years before retiring. He is credited with 35 United States patents. He served on the Sycamore City Council, the Secretary of Board of Local Improvements, and was a member of numerous local and national organizations, committees, and societies. 

William passed away on Sunday, April 19, 1998. A Scholarship Fund was created at the DeKalb County Community Foundation using memorial gifts from his funeral. The William G. Schinske Memorial Scholarship Fund provided a scholarship to a Sycamore High School graduate who intended to pursue a degree in engineering from a four-year institution of higher education. The Fund was spent down over the years through numerous scholarship awards and is now closed. William's legacy lives on through the industry he impacted and the many lives he touched.