William Stong

Washington Rewind has tried to feature many of the town’s movers and shakers but also some of the more memorable, colorful residents.  The RC Man and Tiny Hays are two examples of townsfolk we have featured who, while maybe not advancing significant town progress, were certainly memorable in their own right.  Another one of these residents was William Stong, who could be considered Washington’s version of the cinematic “Rain Man.”

Bill was born in 1884.  His mother died when he was six years old, and he was raised by his father and an aunt. Very early on, his teachers realized he had a special gift, as he could do all his mathematical calculations in his head.  William also had social limitations, which made his relationships with other people very difficult, much like Dustin Hoffman’s character in “Rain Man.”

In the late 19th century, there was no such term as autism, and the term was not used in the United States until the 1940s. The only known diagnosis made on William was “incompetent.”

As expected, during those less sensitive times, classmates would mock him. Ever the actualist, William kept a list of those who were making fun of him, and as he was a large person, many kids ended up on the losing end of a battle with William.

At the turn of the century, Washington was moving to pave the Washington Square roads.  At first, they were going to gravel the area, but then they decided to use bricks.  When they were looking for help to determine costs and quantities, they called on William to help calculate how many bricks they needed. He did much of that type of independent work in Washington, being hired for special calculating projects for different firms.  He could take entire store inventories in his head.

When William reached his twenties, he began using his mathematical talents outside of Washington.  He began touring to showcase his abilities.  His vaudeville act was very popular for a few years until he quit after being exploited by the promoters.

After his tour act had closed, he would visit cities in the vicinity and do his act.  He would receive medals of excellence from the cities and proudly wear them at his performances.

William died in 1929.  He was watching a train pass under him while standing on a viaduct near Bartonville, adding the numbers on the side of the cars as they passed when he collapsed.  About a year before his death, he purchased his own tombstone, which stands proudly in Glendale Cemetery as a tribute to his talents.  The stone had not been set yet when he died, as Bill had several disagreements with the stone makers because he wanted it to say much more.  The four panels of the stone say the following:

Panel 1: “WILLIAM L. STONG – a man of Wonderful mental power and extreme fondness for children – Champion mental mathematician of the United States.”

Panel 2: “WILLIAM L. STONG – world’s greatest mathematician – wonderful – Born April 20, 1884, died April 15, 1929”

Panel 3: “JACOB H. STONG – father of William L., 1852-1925. ELIZA ANN KARR, wife of Jacob H. Stong and mother of William L., 1848-1891."

Panel 4: “KATIE STONG – sister 1886-1891. O the dear little innocent soul.  God bless her forever and ever.”