James Davidson Williams Compiled by Iva Williams [The website http://jdwilliams.memory-of.com has wonderful pictures of him.] This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, JD Williams who was born in Texas on Jan 03, 1916 and passed away on December 25, 2004 at the age of 88. We will remember him forever. J. D. was born on January 3, 1916 to Lavada and Andy Williams in the Limestone County community of Farrah. After a few years they moved to a small community east of Fairfield called Young, where he grew up as a boy. He attended school in Fairfield but at the age of 17 dropped out to enlist in the military and was assigned to the 84th Field Artillery Battalion of the U. S. Army. His enlistment took him first to Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, where he was assigned to a horse artillery unit and served under Capt. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who later became General of the Armies and later was elected president. J. D. trained at other bases in the United States, served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, and then was stationed as part of the Army of Occupation in Germany, serving 11 years overseas. His last assignment was at Columbus General Depot in Columbus Ohio, where he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer and special CID agent after a total of 22 years on June 1, 1959. J. D. was proficient in all areas of training and schooling in the Military Police programs. On June 29, 1950 he received a Certificate of High School graduation from the State Board of Education of South Carolina, the equivalent of a High School Diploma, signed by future U. S. Senator J. Strom Thurmond. On February 16, 1951, J. D. graduated from the Keeler Polygraph Institute in Chicago, Illinois and received his license to operate the polygraph while serving in the military. The Army paid for his studies and bought the examining equipment. He also studied criminology at the University of Vienna Institute of Criminology while stationed in Germany. His greatest achievement while in the Army was the awarding of the Bronze Star Metal on October 23, 1945 which reads, “Master Sergeant J. D. Williams, Field Artillery, Army of the United States. For meritorious service in connection with military operations against the enemy from 25 January 1945 to 2 September 1945, as Battalion Administrative Noncommissioned Officer, Master Sergeant Williams was responsible for the organization and operation of the Battalion Command Post. He displayed exceptional ability and a high degree of skill for combat with the enemy. Master Sergeant Williams’ keen foresight, zeal and sound judgment made him of inestimable value to this organization.” A. M. Harper Major General, U.S. Army Commanding After winding up a career in the army, J. D. joined the Zales Corporation in Dallas. He started in security and over the course of 17 years became Vice President in charge of loss prevention with 22 polygraph examiners working under him. While working for Zales he was credited with elevating the profession from its primary use in police investigations to a business tool. In 1975 he retired from Zales and moved back to his hometown of Fairfield where he started his third career in polygraph work. He operated a private business in Fairfield from 1975 until 2002 under the name of International Polygraph Service with a motto of “Probing the Past to Protect the Future,” and maintained an office in the Freestone County Court House, a privilege given J. D. for administering examinations free for the Freestone County Sheriff’s Department. He was appointed a Freestone County Reserve Deputy. Always more interested in seeking a person’s innocence than guilt, J. D. continued to conduct polygraph examinations for companies, law enforcement, and defense lawyers, spending much time and effort in helping the Freestone County Sheriff’s Department solve many cases for which he was awarded numerous Certificates of Appreciation. In 1999 J. D. received Deputy of the Year honors for 25 years of dedicated service and was awarded a plaque from Sheriff J. R. “Sonny “ Sessions, Jr. J. D. had accumulated numerous classroom hours at Sam Houston State University School of Criminal Justice, completing courses in Kinesic Technique of Interrogation, Forensic Hypnosis and Forensic Science. He has taught classes on interrogation, use of the polygraph and report writing at the local Sheriff’s Training Center. He was appointed to the Texas Board of Polygraph Examiners by Governor Preston Smith, and served in that capacity for 5 years as Vice Chairman. He was elected president of the Texas Association of Polygraph Examiners, serving two terms and helped to initiate the present licensing law governing polygraph examiners in the State of Texas. Also during 1998 he earned his share of honors, and accepted the “President’s Award” from the Texas Association of Polygraph Examiners of which he was a charter member. Mr. Bill Parker of Richardson and Mr. Eric Holden of Dallas, two leaders in the industry and organization, made a trip to Fairfield to personally present J. D. with the award. These men and others credit J. D. with advancements in the field that resulted in polygraph examinations gaining acceptance throughout a broad spectrum of uses. Among his accomplishments was establishment of a strict set of licensing guidelines in Texas, and working to safeguard those guidelines to ensure credibility of the profession. He was an active member of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas, and a member of the VFW Post 5872. J. D. is survived by his wife, Iva, of 44 years; daughters Karen Williams and Kathy Williams; grand children Brett Davidson Thorn, David Jones, Jamie Grable and Major General Gary Michael Jones; great grandchildren, Kimberly Grable, Phoebe, Chase and Wyatt Davidson Thorn.