William E. Vaughan
William E. Vaughan (October 8, 1915 – February 25, 1977) was an American columnist and author. Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, he wrote a syndicated column for the "Kansas City Star" from 1946 until his death in 1977. He was published in "Reader's Digest" and "Better Homes and Gardens" under the pseudonym Burton Hillis. He attended Washington University in St. Louis. He is known and still quoted decades later for his folksy aphorisms, some of which were published in his "Starbeams" feature. They have been collected in books and on Internet sites. Bill Vaughan died at age  61 of lung cancer. Aphorisms. Examples of his aphorisms which have been quoted long after his death include: Books. He wrote three books, "Bird Thou Never Wert," a 1962 collection of columns, "Sorry I Stirred It" 1964, and "Half the Battle" 1967. Posthumous collections were published, columns in 1979, "The Best of Bill Vaughan". and aphorisms in 1981, "Starbeams."