[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 12, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E193-E194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING RICHARD WILLIAMS, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 2003

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. 
Richard Williams, Jr., who served as Blount County Commissioner from 
1984 until recently.
  Commissioner Williams was dedicated to his family, faith and Country. 
He was a great American.

[[Page E194]]

  An active member of the Blount County community, Commissioner 
Williams was a Sunday school teacher and chairman of the Board of 
Deacons at St. John Baptist Church of Alcoa. He was Past Master of 
Granite Masonic Lodge No. 289, Past Commander in Chief of Alcoa 
Consistory No. 175, Past Potenlate of Almas Shrine Temple No. 71, and 
was named Mason of the Year.
  In 2002 he received the Governor's Tennessee Volunteer Commendation 
Award and was listed in Who's Who Among Black Americans. Williams was 
also a member of the Alcoa Rotary and American Legion Post 18.
  When he was elected to Blount County's governing body in 1984, he 
became the second African-American elected official in Blount County in 
the twentieth century and the third in the county's history.
  Above all, he cherished his family. Commissioner Williams was married 
to Evelyn Robinson Williams for over forty years. He loved being a 
husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
  This Nation is a better place because of Commissioner Williams, and I 
want, in this small way, to express my great appreciation for his 
service and my heartfelt condolences to his family.

                          ____________________