William H. Stacy was born on June 30, 1894, on a farm near Stacyville, Iowa. He received a B.S. (1917) in agronomy from Iowa State College (University), an M.S. (1922) in agricultural economics from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. (1935) in adult education from Columbia University.



Stacy joined Iowa State College (University) Cooperative Extension staff in 1917 as an Assistant Emergency Demonstration Agent during World War I and served as Assistant County Agent Leader beginning in 1919. In 1922, he was appointed Extension Sociologist, a position he held until his retirement in 1959. In this position, he worked with local organizations and churches on rural life and community development programs. In 1952, he served as Adult Education Specialist for rural social problems on a U.S. Department of State-sponsored trip to Germany through the Education Exchange Program.



Stacy served actively in several professional organizations, including several state, regional, and national societies in adult education, sociology, and church organizations. He helped to form the Iowa Christian Rural Fellowship, the Iowa Association for Adult Education, and the Iowa Council for Community Improvement, serving on the Executive Committee of the latter from 1952-1954. In 1930, Stacy took a year's leave of absence from Extension to serve as Field Secretary for the American Country Life Association.

After his retirement in 1959, Stacy served for two years in Korea as a member of the Near East Foundation team of advisers for leadership training in rural community development. Also during retirement, he worked with the Ames chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA, as well as at the state and national levels.



He was married to Florence Eva Brown, with whom he had two children, Ann (Stacy) Fruehling (b. 1934) and Robert (Bob) (b. 1935).