WARE COUNTY  GA  Biography   Jack William, Sr.

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by 
Barbara Winge barbarawinge@yahoo.com

http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/ware/bios/williams.txt


Jack Williams, Sr. Called Unforgettable Character

Few men have played so vital a role in the life of a
community as he. A park was created in downtown Waycross
on the site on the old Journal-Herald in his memory.

But those who knew Jack Williams, Sr., agree that the
greatest memorial to him has been continuation of his
work and advancement of his ideals and goals through the
newspaper he headed for so many years. - Jim Pinson It
was a privilege to know the late Jack Williams, Sr., and
an honor to be in his employ.

He was a rare human being, one whose courtsey was much
more than a social amenity and whose compassionate
outlook was translated into unforgettable personal
consideration. No one who ever knew him, or, for that
matter, who ever met him forgot it.

Recently W. Thomas Rice, chairman of the board of
Seaboard Coast Line Industries, said his initial memory
of a visit to Waycross was of the Journal-Herald
publisher, who, to him, was the living embodiment of a
Southern gentleman. Yet he could be firm, perhaps even
tough, in dealing with those who displayed arrogance and
lack of consideration for others. He was an astute
businessman who knew the value of a dollar and remembered
the lean times. But he put humanitarian considerations
first and never lost sight of the fact that service to
others was the dynamic ideal of human existence.

I think what impressed me the most about him was his
sincere personal interest in those around him. He was
ever mindfulof the "little" courtesies and
considerations, as well as of the so-called "big" things
and I suspect that this personal trait is what made him
so beloved by so many. This characteristic was refected
in his newspaper and continues to be through his son,
Jack Williams, Jr., who also sees people and events with
love and human compassion.

When he died on Dec. 2, 1957, Jack Williams had been
editor and publisher of the Waycross Journal-Herald for
42 years. He entered the newspaper business as business
manager for the old Waycross Herald and became the owner
of the Journal-Herald in 1916. He also published the
Blackshear Times from 1924 to 1926. the Hoganville News
in 1925 and 1926, the LaGrange Reporter from 1924 to
1927.

Interested in radio from its early days, he had been the
owner and president in 1936 of the Waycross Broadcasting
Co., which operated Radio Station WAYX for many years.

Numerous honors were accorded him. He served as president
of the Georgia Press Association, chairman of the Georgia
Press Institute and as president of the old 11th Distict
Press Association. He was named posthumously to the
Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame and his portrait hangs
along with such famous journalists as Henry W. Grady in
the University of Georgia's School of Journalism.

He was a friend of the great figures of his time, in
politics, business and the professions. He knew President
Franklin D. Roosevelt and met with him on many occasions
at Warm Springs. After FDR'd death, he was one of those
instrumental to the establishment of the Little White
House as a memorial to the great humanitarian President.

As a newspaper and Georgian, Editor Williams maintained a
long-time interest in the development of Stone Mountain
as a memorial to the Confederacy; a dream he did not live
to see fully realized, although significant progress had
been made on the project at the time of his death. From
1937 to 1944, he represented Ware County and the 5th
State Senatorial District in the Georgia General
Assembly. He served at various times in both houses and
was instrumental in the passage of much important
legislation.

Along with his wife, the former Ethel Katherine Woodard,
who was a leader in many community programs and who
survives, he engaged in Christian charity and contributed
to numerous orphanages, churches and other philantropic
causes. He also participated in helping to finance the
education of numerous young people.

He was the first recipient of the Morris Jacobson
Brotherhood Award, was named by Dixie Business Magazine
as a member of the "South's Hall of Fame for the Living,"
and was a devout Presbyterian who was active in the
affairs of the local church and of the Savannah
Presbytery. He was active in promoting the development of
the forestry indsutry of Southeast Georgia, a movement
inspired by his friend, Dr. Charles Henty and in programs
to numerous to list to enhance the growth and development
of the community and area.

(Thank you Mr. Jim Pinson for a wonderful tribute to a wonderful man.)
WAYCROSS JOURNAL-HERALD, Monday, April 22, 1974
CENTENNIAL EDITION

========================
USGENWEB NOTICE:  In keeping with our policy of providing
free information on the Internet, data may be freely used
by non-commercial entities, as long as this message
remains on all copied material. These electronic pages
cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other
presentation. The submitter has given permission to the
USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for FREE
access. ==============