[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO BILLY D. WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2014

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a loyal 
South Carolinian who has dedicated his life to public service.
  Billy D. Williams is turning 75 on April 18 and will be celebrating 
with his wife, Anita Frazier, friends and family on April 5 at Savannah 
Grove Church.
  Mr. Williams was born in Florence, South Carolina where he was the 
youngest of seven children. He graduated from Wilson High School and 
attended the Fashion Institute and Design. He is also a graduate of the 
Strom Thurmond Institute of Government.
  As an African American growing up in the deep South just as 
integration was beginning to take hold, Billy made a commendable choice 
to take a life of public service in order to better the lives of his 
neighbors and the communities he has known all of his life.
  In 1988, Billy was elected to the Florence City Council, where he 
served for 23 years. During that tenure, he also served as Mayor Pro 
Tem. During his time as an elected official, he served in several 
local, state and national capacities. He was one of the founders of the 
South Carolina Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and served as 
its President for several years. He was a board member of the National 
League of Cities and the National Black Caucus of Local Elected 
Officials (NBC-LEO), and as a member of the Advisory Board of the 
National League of Cities.
  During his tenure on the Florence City Council, Billy fought for and 
spearheaded reforms for better housing, improvements in education and 
access to affordable, quality health care for the citizens of Florence. 
His accomplishments included the construction of the Cambridge 
Apartments and Coit Village Apartments, an affordable housing 
subdivision in Williams Heights, 15 affordable houses in North Florence 
and several ``Habitat for Humanity'' houses in West Florence.
  Billy also served as President of the Wilson High School PTA and was 
a member of the Wilson High School Alumni Association. He also 
organized the Latch Key Kids Program of America which is a partnership 
between Florence School District One and the National League of Cities.
  Billy is a member of various social and civic organizations in South 
Carolina including the NAACP, Hiram Lodge #13 Prince Hall Masons, Pee 
Dee Consistory and Crescent Temple. He also served as a board member of 
the Pee Dee Transitional Shelter. He is currently the Vice President of 
the Pee Dee Healthy Start Board.
  Most recently, Billy received the Palmetto Award and the National 
Service to Youth Award from the Boys and Girls Club of America for his 
15 years of devoted service.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Billy D. Williams on his 75th birthday and decades of dedicated and 
productive service to human kind. His commitment to his community is 
exemplary, and his contributions are incalculable. I wish him all the 
best and many more years of service.

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