Industry pioneer and chairman of Gospel Light Bill Greig II died Wednesday. He was 81.

Greig was a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), serving on its board from 1974-1976 and again in 1980-1987. He was ECPA chairman from 1981-1984 and received the industry's Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

Greig also was awarded a Visionary Industry Pioneer (VIP) Award at the 2003 Retailers Choice Awards, presented by Christian Retailing.

Accepting his VIP Award, Greig remarked that there was “a cause greater than our own little publishing house … the Lord brought us together so that we would see the world … and that we had the answer in the Word of God,” and urged retailers to “work together for the cause of the gospel, rather than in petty competition.”

“Bill truly was a treasure to the Christian publishing industry and was instrumental in the founding of ECPA. He left a legacy of divine impact, and he will be sorely missed by us all,” stated ECPA President Mark Kuyper.

Greig began his career in his hometown of Minneapolis as partner/manager of Praise Book Publications before joining the Gospel Light team as vice president in 1950. He was elected president of Gospel Light in 1972. Greig also served as president of the National Sunday School Association and chairman of the board of Minnesota's Keswick Bible conferences, which helped launch Campus Crusade for Christ with Bill and Vonette Bright.

Greig's wife of 53 years, Doris, founder and author the Joy of Living Bible Studies, died in December 2004 at age 78 after a long battle with cancer.

Greig is survived by his sister, Peggy Nelson, four children-Kathy, Gary, Jane and Bill III, the current president of Gospel Light-and nine grandchildren. Gospel Light has set up a Web site with memorial information, www.gospellight.com/william.html.