Tribute
By Holly Williams
I'd like to share with you some of my memories of Dad. He had so many wonderful qualities and characteristics. He had a great sense of humor, and was able to laugh about many things - many of which have turned into family jokes. He was also extremely patient. In his later years when he had physical pain, he never complained. He had a great dramatic flair, and was wonderful at quoting Shakespeare and classical literature.
Came up from very difficult childhood, self-made self- reliant, very motivated. His father died when he was 10, and his older sister died 6 months later. He trained himself to become a draftsman, and made money to go to college. He got his undergraduate degree then went to Iowa to get his doctorate. He did all of this on his own, through his own determination. He received a Fulbright scholarship award in 1968 to teach in the Philippines. Our whole family went to live in the Philippines for that year. This experience in addition to others gave us a love of travel and learning about other cultures.
Dad was not afraid of adventures. As a young man he hung around the Huntington airport. He made friends with the pilots who gave him rides in the biplanes. One flying game that he loved was throwing toilet paper rolls out of the cockpit, and seeing how many times they could swoop to cut the paper as it unraveled.
As Carol and I were growing up, he was very supportive of our "flying from the nest" and trying new things. When I was making the decision to move from Iowa to Colorado, I asked if he thought I was making the right choice. He said, "If you don't do it you may kick yourself later on, and you can always come back if you want to.
He shared the gift of music - Played the accordion. Also played the ukulele in the kitchen while Mom would sing along (beautiful voice!). He encouraged me to play music, which I have done all of my life. I play in a band in Colorado. We play a song that I learned from Dad when I was 5 years old. The 3 of us recorded this song, for this occasion, and I'd like to share it with you.
"The Fox Went Out On A Chilly Night"
(ed. note JAK - the words to the song The Fox Went Out On A Chilly Night are available online.)
