William Holst
William Holst grew up in Smithtown, where his parents were local merchants. His father and mother owned and operated Smithtown Florist and Kings Park Florist for decades and Bill during his teenage years worked in the family businesses. He graduated Smithtown Central High School in 1970 and went on to graduate New York University, receiving a B.A. in 1974. Bill received recognition as an “NYU Founders’ Day Scholar”.
Bill served in the United States Army from 1975 to 1978. He was a “Distinguished Honor Graduate” of the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indiana and served at Fort Knox, Kentucky and at Camp Zama, Japan. During his military service Bill was awarded the Army Commendation Medal on two occasions.