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Two of his favorite ones: “To be able to give two of my three daughters their diplomas,” he said. “That was a huge thrill.”
A community celebration will be held Tuesday for Williams, 67, of Lacey, who is retiring after a little more than six terms representing Director District No. 1, which encompasses Thompson Place, Tanglewilde and the South Bay area.
“Bill is probably one of the most dedicated citizens to public education,” said board president Laurie Davies. “He’s given 25 years of his life to be a volunteer, and try to (improve) public education.”
On Dec. 6, Williams’ board position will transfer to former school district employee Marcia Coppin, who secured nearly 60 percent of votes during the Nov. 8 election.
Williams was appointed to the board in April 1986 to fill a midterm vacancy by Ray Alverson. Williams won his first election in fall 1987.
During his tenure, the district has grown from about 9,000 students to about 14,000. It’s built or rebuilt five elementary schools, two middle schools and three high schools.
“We’ve actually remodeled almost every other building in the district during that time as well,” he said.
Williams has worked with five superintendents, and gutted through some of the district’s worst financial times.
“In 1994, we had a double levy failure, and we had to cut 10 percent of the budget immediately,” he said. “I think we learned we needed to do a better job communicating with the community, which we already knew, but it certainly was a reminder.”
He said one of his favorite perks of being a School Board member was getting involved in education issues at the state and federal levels. Williams served on the boards of the Washington State School Directors Association and the National School Boards Association.
North Thurston Superintendent Raj Manhas said Williams’ leadership has made a huge impact in the district’s schools, as well as those across the state.
“Bill has been an amazing person to work with on behalf of student learning and public schools,” he added. “His commitment and devotion to public education for so long is truly extraordinary.”
Williams and his wife, Maxine, a clinical social worker, lived in the Tanglewilde neighborhood for more than 30 years. Their three daughters attended Lydia Hawk Elementary School, Nisqually Middle School and Timberline High School; one was in the first class of the experimental New Century High School.
As a young child, Williams lived in the Tri-Cities area, where his father helped build the Hanford nuclear plant. He graduated from high school in White Sulphur Springs, a resort town in West Virginia, studied economics at Tulane University in New Orleans and earned a law degree from the University of Michigan.
After law school, Williams served five years as a judge advocate for the Navy, including three years as a legal officer at the Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan.
A job with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office brought Williams and his wife to South Sound. During his 33-year stint at the AG’s office, Williams represented numerous state agencies including Retirement Systems, Social and Health Services, General Administration, Corrections, Health and Transportation.
While at the AG’s Office, Williams had two opportunities to argue in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Those were definitely highlights of my legal career,” Williams said.
Davies said she considers Williams a mentor, and the board will have a different dynamic with his departure.
“He’s a lawyer by training, and he brings that detail and that perspective to the board, making sure that things are proper and right,” Davies said. “He has a lot of historical perspective, which is hard to lose.”
Williams said his time on the School Board has been an education in itself, especially when it comes to learning the challenges that teachers and paraprofessionals face on a daily basis.
“Things are a lot more complex than you think they are,” he said. “If you work hard, and you keep your focus on what’s good for kids and look at the whole child, you can make a huge difference in children’s lives.”
Lisa Pemberton: 360-754-5433
lpemberton@theolympian.com
theolympian.com/edblog
