"At Sawyer's [in 1960], [President] Bob Brost continued to mind the helm, but changes were afoot. Sawyer's didn't back this project. Chinese art was such a specialized field that the project couldn't break even. William, who had artistic control, forged on ahead. As he said in his diary, he "bombarded" the Department of Visual Education at Sawyer's with his idea. He asked for no reimbursement for his work. In a letter, he stated:

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"I assure you that I will have no monetary interest in this project. The thing that propels me is my deep appreciation and love for the arts. I want to make this a contribution to
the arts, and it must become a superb one!"

​

"The Chinese government had announced that the priceless Imperial
Collection of Chinese art would be traveling to America, where it would
be displayed at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. William realized that this announcement provided him the perfect opportunity to begin his work. Sawyer's would need approval from the Chinese government for William to gain access to the collection. This started a year of negotiations, with Bob Brost going to bat for William all the way. Brost had contacted U.S. State Senator Wayne Morse and other government officials to expedite matters.

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While he was waiting the go-ahead to start shooting, William used the
time to experiment with photographic methods on his own collection. Each
type of object presented a different challenge to film. There could be no glare or reflection from lighting. There could be no shadow cast in the background to distort the outlines of each piece. William's knowledge of photography was put to the ultimate test. He remarked:

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At this very time, the Eastman Kodak Company has released a new colour film called Kodachrome Type A, No.
2. Thus far, I have been using 

Kodachrome Type A, No.1. This new film is said to be vastly superior in rendering overlapping and transitional pastel hues from its three-colour base. It is also more than twice as fast. This claim makes it imperative to me to use it on the porcelains, as it was up till now impossible to obtain certain very special hues which are evident, particularly in the celedons, even
within the Ju's. It is not a simple matter to acquaint oneself with the idiosyncrasies and trickeries of a new colour film. I am now in the process of experimentation. It may take me two months to know it well enough to take the risk of  photographing these priceless objects, an opportunity that may be offered only ONCE."

​

"By June 1962, William had gained permission from the National Palace
and Central Museum in Taichung, Republic of China, to photograph the
collection. The resulting photographs of the Imperial Collection taken in San Francisco were as impressive as William had hoped, which gave him energy to keep going."

​

"William's research put gave him renewed him in touch with Sir Harry Garner, who was president of the Oriental Ceramic Society in England, and was a highly respected expert in all types of antique Chinese art forms. In 1948, he had been the last person ever to be knighted by King George at Buckingham Palace. Recognized for his service to the throne as the central director of Air
Scientific Research, Ministry of Supply, during WWII, his knighthood carried the abbreviations CB, KBE, which meant he was a Most Honorable Companion of the Order of the Bath, and had received the British Empire Medal. Sir Harry was a brilliant, soft-spoken man. He had a twinkle in his eye and a huge presence, even though he was of slight build. He commanded respect not by intimidation, but by his gentle, calm authority. He had written a book on blue and white Chinese porcelain that was accepted by the community to be the last word on the subject.

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William and Sir Harry teamed up to get the Chinese art project moving forward. Sir Harry agreed to write the text for the four-volume set.

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It was decided that the volumes be separated into the following categories:

ceramics and jades, bronzes and lacquer, gold and silver, hard stones and ivory, bone and glass, wood and horn, metal, and cloisonné and textiles. Sir Harry persuaded Margaret Medley, who was curator of the Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, to assist him in selecting the objects for the massive undertaking. Between the two of them, their connections were to
prove invaluable to the project. Sir Harry received the go-ahead from the
British Museum to allow William access to their collection.

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William would be the only non-staff photographer in the museum's
history to be allowed this freedom and honor. He began filming in October of 1963. The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Bristol Art Gallery, and the Ashmolean at Oxford, all gave permission to have their collections combed through
by Sir Harry and Margaret for just the right examples. William approached owners of private collections worldwide to participate in the project."

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"With each introductory letter, he sent a View-Master and some reels, so that they could experience firsthand the excellent quality of the system. After collectors saw how astonishing the 3-D photographs were, they eagerly became a part of the project. They realized that there would be no royalties as a result of the 

undertaking, and yet William's unflagging enthusiasm swept them up."

​

"William Biller Gruber passed away at New England Baptist Hospital, Boston Massachusetts, on October 15, 1965. The cause of his death was listed as metastatic liver cancer. He was sixty-two years, four months, and fifteen days old. His body was cremated, and his ashes were
placed in a bronze urn, which is hidden under a remote rocky outcropping on the slopes of Oregon's Mount Hood."

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"Norma, with the help of Bob [and Jeanne] Brost and Rupert Leach, had his last project finished and published by the Asia Society in 1971. Chinese Art in Three Dimensional Colour is now, like the original mushroom, wildflower, and anatomy series, rare, and highly prized by collectors the world over."

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"Norma married James P. Schofield in 1970. She died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on September 6, 2006. At the end of her life, when she had forgotten almost everything, she often called out for William. Her remains rest in the Pioneer cemetery in Ukiah, Oregon."

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"More than one and a half billion View-Master viewers have been
of American produced. The View-Master has taken its place as a treasured part of life and has collectors and fan clubs all over the world."