William "Willie" Francis Tanner is the father of the Tanner family, performed by Max Wright, and a social worker at the Social Services Department of Los Angeles County. Willie is a shortwave radio enthusiast, and it was a result of his shortwave radio signals that ALF followed them and crashed into his home. Willie also avidly collects scale model train sets. He was born in Decatur, Illinois, (although he claims to be from Ohio when the support group comes to the Tanner house) and he attended Claremont High School, then later graduated from UCLA. Willie also claims to have gone to Amherst College. Willie has a bachelor's and master's, although it is unknown which degree was attained from which school. Willie majored in social science. When Willie uses his homemade ham radio to call somebo