William John Koolsbergen

William John “Will” Koolsbergen of Pass Christian, passed away on Friday, February 28, 2025.

Will was born on June 13, 1949, in Gulfport. He was a Catholic. Will was a graduate of Pass Christian High School, class of 67 and a proud Pirate alum. He earned the following degrees (all but two in theatre): AA (in English) from Jeff Davis, BA from Millsaps College, MA from Louisiana State University, MFA from University of New Orleans, MPhil (in Philosophy) from City of New York, and Ph.D from City University of New York. He also did post-doctoral work in Performance Studies with Richard Scheckner at NYU and post-doctoral work in Inter-Disciplinary at Harvard University. Will taught at NYU Columbia University, CCNY, Vassar College, University of Bridgeport, Baruch College. He was the Humanities Professor in the Theatre Department at Laguardia Community College, City University of New York and Professor Emeritus, City University of New York. Will taught part-time at Tulane University on the Gulf Coast and was an Adjunct Professor at Tulane University. He was a well-known national figure in the realm of Learning Communities and Collaborative Learning. With his teaching partner, Dr. Phyllis Van Slick of New York, he lectured and led workshops in these techniques at colleges in the United States and Europe. Will joined the Actor’s Guild (SAG) in 1975 and he worked frequently in film, television, and on stage ever since. Between his time in New Orleans and his 30+ years in New York, Will directed over 100 shows. Three of his original plays, Dracula Alma, A-Z: The Chronicles of Vicki and Michael, and Storm Stories-Pass Christian have been performed in New York. Will was happy to volunteer his expertise to his hometown, the Pass, where he was instrumental in the founding of the Pass Christian Theatre Project.

Will was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Koolsbergen and Alma Daily Koolsbergen; his spouse, Lawrence W. “Larry” Rogers, Jr.; brother, Leroy Migues; and sister, Myrtle Davion.

Survivors include his sisters, Brenda Koolsbergen Cuevas (Gayle) and Patricia Koolsbergen Jost (Patrick).

A funeral service will be announced at a later date. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, Gulfport, is honored to serve the Koolsbergen family.