First Friday Vocation: Mr. Bill Iliff

Among the many teachers on campus here at CB is our own Mr. Bill Iliff (’76), a teacher, a parent, coach, and even a dentist.

Born and raised in Sacramento, Mr. Iliff attended Christian Brothers where he graduated in 1976. After graduating from CB, he went on to achieve a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and Psychology from UCLA as well as a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from UCLA.

About a year after earning his D.D.S., Mr. Iliff became a resident at Denver General Hospital, which he describes as his most interesting job.

“You truly saw people from every corner of life” he says, “People were shot, there was abuse, but you also saw babies being born and all the things that go on in a hospital. You’d see life and death everyday.”

Aside from teaching here on campus, Mr. Iliff is also dentist, which is why you may hear some students refer to him as Dr. Iliff.

“It’s my second career — I am also a dentist, so I spend part of my time here and then I also have a dental practice,” the Biology teacher says. “In fact some CB kids are my patients and have been since they were little.”

But how did Mr. Iliff decide to begin teaching here at Christian Brothers? Mr Iliff gives credit to his baseball coaching and “always being kind of a science nerd” for his inspiration to becoming a teacher.

He also mentions how having great memories of the school were what made him decide to teach here. One of his goals as a teacher is “to work with the kids and get them to hopefully enjoy science as much as I did growing up.”

One of the most rewarding things about teaching according to Mr. Iliff happens to be the environment the school provides through the students.

“The most rewarding thing is probably talking to all the kids — they’re almost always upbeat,” the doctor says. “It’s just such a great environment. Not even talking to them, but watching them interact with each other, you can tell how they each enjoy being at school with their friends.”

Aside from his childhood hero, San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays, Mr. Iliff finds admirable values in Pope John Paul II who he considers a personal hero. However, when asked if he could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, John Paul II was not present at the table.

“One would be Babe Ruth because I love baseball, another would be Albert Einstein because he was just so smart, and the third would have to be a president, either Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan because presidents have an amazing life and I think it would be really interesting to talk to them.”

Behind being a teacher, Mr. Iliff has and is still living an interesting life. So if you ever see Mr. Iliff on campus, be sure to say hello or give him a wave to add on to that CB atmosphere he finds to be the most rewarding thing about teaching here.