Born "William V. Bell," Bill Bell is the current mayor of Durham, North Carolina. Mr. Bell holds a Bachelor of Science and Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Howard University and New York University, respectively. Formerly a senior engineer for IBM, Bell was first elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 1972, where he served until 1994, and again from 1996 to 2000. He was the chairman of the Durham County Commissioners from 1982 to 1994. Bell was first elected mayor of Durham in 2001 and was re-elected in 2003 and in 2005. Bell is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of UDI Community Development Corp., a non-profit organization. He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 

1941 in Washington, D.C.