H.R. No. 58
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A full and generous life drew to a close with the
death of journalist, publisher, and Kerr County commissioner
William H. Williams of Kerrville on December 5, 2010, at the age of
79; and
WHEREAS, Bill Williams was born on October 21, 1931, in
Birmingham, Alabama, to Calvin and Lillian Levy Williams; raised in
Indiana, he attended Gulf Coast Military Academy in Mississippi;
and
WHEREAS, Mr. Williams first came to Texas as a young man, when
he took a job as a printer at the Waco Tribune-Herald; in 1955, he
met his future wife, Lew, who was an editor at the paper and they
were married in 1958; together, they were blessed with a son, Will,
and two granddaughters, Erin and Caille; and
WHEREAS, A veteran newspaperman, Mr. Williams edited the
newspaper of the International Typographical Union in Colorado
Springs, Colorado; he then started working at the Daily Racing Form
in New York as the labor relations director and retired in the 1990s
as the paper's publisher; he and his wife moved to Kerrville in 1993
and purchased the Kerrville Mountain Sun, which they ran for three
years; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his life, Mr. Williams actively
participated in civic affairs; while he was working for the Racing
Form, he served three terms as a committeeman and three terms as
mayor of Freehold Township, New Jersey; in Texas, he was appointed
by Governor George Bush to the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, and
he was also named to serve on the Alamo Work Force Development
Board; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, Mr. Williams was elected as Kerr County
commissioner for Precinct 2, and at the time of his death, he had
just been reelected to his fourth term; during his tenure, he played
a leading role in creating the Kerrville South Wastewater Project,
providing sewer service for the first time to 250 homes; and
WHEREAS, This outstanding civic leader also served as a
director of the Alamo Area Council of Governments, the Alamo Area
Development Corporation, and the Kerr County/Kerrville Joint
Airport Board; he was a past president of the Host Lions Club and a
member of the Alliance for Progress in Center Point; he sat on the
executive committee of the Kerr Economic Development Foundation,
and he was a member of the Baylor University Alumni Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Williams was active with Zion Lutheran Church,
serving as congregation president during the construction of the
church's new sanctuary; he was also a talented pianist who enjoyed
performing at the church; and
WHEREAS, Bill Williams worked to better his community, and he
leaves behind a record of achievement and service that his loved
ones can look to with great pride; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable William
H. Williams and extend sincere condolences to the members of his
family: to his wife of 52 years, Lew Williams; to his son, Will
Williams and his wife, Pam; to his brother, Calvin T. Williams; to
his sister, Carolyn Turk; to his granddaughters, Erin and Caille;
and to his other relatives and friends; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of William H.
Williams.
Hilderbran
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 58 was unanimously adopted by a rising
vote of the House on February 24, 2011.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House