Williams leaves legacy

Published 8:45 pm Thursday, May 21, 2009

Morris Williams III (from left), Brian Williams, Rodderick Williams, Richard Williams and Robert Williams, all sons of Thomasville's Morris Williams Jr., have a combined 11 degrees from the University of Georgia.

THOMASVILLE — Morris E. Williams Jr. is described by friends and loved ones as a “true friend,” an “exemplary person” and a “great father.”

Williams, a local retired educator and philanthropist, died Saturday after a brief illness.

“He was a great father, who happened to be a star athlete,” son Morris E. Williams III said of his father, who lettered in several sports at Albany State University.

“The thing I think we took from him the most is he did not force athletics on us, but he did enforce academics. He said ‘Put something in your mind, son, it will never go away,’ and what he meant by that was one day athletic ability will leave you and you will have to relay on your mental ability.”

Williams, of Thomasville, spent more than 30 years in the education system, devoting his life to teaching, coaching, counseling and helping young people, including time at Thomasville High School.

“We worked together for 25 years, he as a coach and counselor and myself as an assistant principal and principal,” Jerry Studdard, long-time friend said. “He was loved by all the kids: black or white, it did not make a difference. I never saw him get mad or lose his temper. He was a good-hearted person and saw the good in everyone.”

Matthew Conyers Jr., current Thomasville City Schools Board of Education chairman, said he knew Williams for more than 30 years as a neighbor, friend, educator and fraternity brother in Kappa Alpha Psi.

“He loved life and people and he worked very hard to get his students educated while he was in the system,” Conyers said. “He dedicated his life to the kids.”

Conyers said Williams was also a real Christian and a very giving person.

“Morris would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it and was a contributor to Thomasville City Schools. We will certainly miss him.”

Sabrina Boykins Everett, superintendent of Thomasville City Schools, said she knew Williams all her life, as an educator and a family friend.

“He was just one of those extraordinary old school educators, who coached and counseled a countless number of kids over his career,” she said. “He was at Thomasville High School when I was and our families also have a personal connection through marriage. He is going to be missed in ways that probably can’t be articulated. He has left quite a legacy in his own children, as well as those he coached and worked with at the high school.”

Williams also spearheaded and assisted in many local philanthropic efforts, including the Rev. James N. Greene Sr. Memorial, Frances G. Williams Memorial, and the Morris E. Williams Jr. Perseverance Scholarship funds. He supported community outreach efforts targeting youths, including the Kappa Leadership Development League, Frances G. Williams Children’s Community Choir and the Key Club.

He was a charter member of the Delta Xi and the Thomasville Alumni Chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., served on the Thomasville Housing Authority board, and was a member of the American Red Cross, the Douglass High School Alumni Association, the Kiwanis Club, and the Georgia High School Coaches Association.

City of Thomasville Mayor Pro Tem Camille Payne knew Williams for “as long as I’ve been in Thomasville.”

“He was always an exemplary person who was interested in the young people and was as good a worker as you could want,” she said. “I thought a lot of Morris. His family was always very active, good citizens and service-minded. He was always there, working and helping.”

Payne expressed surprise to learn Williams had died. The last time she spoke with him was at a recent community event, where they were both volunteering. She said Williams told her he was leaving for Atlanta the next day for some surgery and she promised to check on him.

“All who knew him were very fond of him and he was well-respected by the whole community,” she said. “He was a fine person.”

Morris E. Williams III said his father was “firm, but fair,” and he thought that stemmed from his rural South Georgia upbringing in Fowlstown.

“He had to work very hard on a farm and do whatever it took to make ends meet,” he said. “He also took care of others. He taught us to be nice to other people and said ‘you only judge your success by who you help.’ He said, ‘If you ain’t helping somebody, you surely don’t want to hurt anybody.’”

Studdard said he and Williams went on a fishing trip before his friend left for Atlanta.

“He and I were fishing and he told me if he had to go, he felt like he had lived a good life and seen his sons grown and educated. That stuck with me.”

There were too many fishing buddy stories to tell, Studdard said, but he usually supplied the materials.

“I usually had to supply the materials because he would always get his line hung in the bushes or in a stump in the middle of the water. I always had three poles made up for him because I knew he’d go through two of them.”

Studdard said he would miss Williams.

“You don’t get many true friends — you can list them on your fingers — and he was a true friend to me.”

Email newsletter signup