William Charles "Bill" Ayers (born December 26, 1944) is an American elementary education theorist. He is a former head of the Weather Underground. Ayers is known for speaking out against the Vietnam War in the 1960s. He is also known for his current work in trying to help make learning and teaching better. In 1969, Ayers started the Weather Underground. The Weather Underground is a group that call themselves a "communist revolutionary group". They carried out bombings against public buildings during the 1960s and 1970s. This was because the United States was being a part of the Vietnam War. Ayers is a professor in the College of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has the titles of Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar. During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, a controversy was brought up over ties between Ayers and then Senator Barack Obama. Ayers is married to Bernadine Dohrn. She was also a member of the Weather Underground.