[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11153-11154]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING FREDRICK DOUGLAS WILLIAMS III

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Ms. Sewell) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
accomplishments of Mr. Frederick Douglas Williams III of Selma, 
Alabama, a great American and a trailblazing Alabamian.
  After more than 50 years in the floral business, Mr. Fred D. Williams 
III retired on June 30, 2011. A fixture in the Selma community for more 
than five decades, Fred Williams has provided his floral expertise to 
countless families for weddings, funerals, graduations and other 
special occasions in the Seventh Congressional District of Alabama and 
throughout the Southeast. Fred's Flower and Gift Shop opened on October 
15, 1956, and served as a vital part of the Selma community.
  Fred Williams comes from a family of public servants and 
entrepreneurs. His parents were pillars in the City of Selma and served 
as role models for the entire community. His mother, Ms. Mary Ellen 
Richardson Williams, was a beloved educator; and his father, Fred D. 
Williams, Jr., was a wise and generous business owner. His father owned 
J.H. Williams & Sons Funeral Home, established in 1905 and still in 
operation today in Selma, Alabama. The Williams family were pioneers in 
a time when African American businesses were few or nonexistent. The 
opening of Fred's Flower and Gift Shop was an extension of his family 
legacy.
  Fred Williams spent most of his formative years in Selma. He moved 
with his family to Richmond, Virginia, in the 1950s where he graduated 
from Maggie L. Walker High School. He then went on to attend the 
historic Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. After graduation, he 
returned to his hometown of Selma and opened his flower shop in 1956.
  For 45 years, Fred Williams was married to Martha J. Williams, who 
passed away on July 15, 2003. Their marriage was blessed with two 
children: Kay Frances Williams, who is married to Earl Johnson of 
Alexandria, Virginia; and Kimberly Joyce Williams, who is married to 
John Dylan of Bloomington, Minnesota. He has two beautiful 
granddaughters: McKenzie, who is 13; and Madison, who is 7.
  For over 50 years, as Selma's premier florist, Fred Williams shared 
his creative genius, creating exquisite floral arrangements, providing 
supreme service to his loyal customers, and serving as an inspiration 
to all small businesses. Fred Williams is loved, admired, and highly 
respected by the entire Selma community, and I am honored to call him 
``Uncle Fred.'' His retirement will be a great loss to the business 
community, but I know that his commitment to bettering Selma will 
remain unwavering.
  On a personal note, I grew up in the Williams household, and his 
daughter Kim and I were childhood best friends. In fact, there is not a 
childhood memory that I have that does not include the Williams family 
or my many visits to Fred's Florist. Because of the closeness of my 
family that we shared with the Williams family over these many years, I 
have always affectionately known him as ``Uncle Fred.''
  Through his business and philanthropy, Uncle Fred has made an 
indelible mark on the community in Selma, Alabama, and I am extremely 
grateful for the part that he played in raising me. I would like to 
sincerely thank him for his fortitude and over 50 years of service. The 
community of Selma and the State of Alabama appreciates your public 
service and commitment to business excellence.
  Therefore, I, Terri Sewell, Representative to the United States 
Congress from the Seventh District of Alabama, do hereby recognize Mr. 
Fred D. Williams III for his numerous contributions to the City of 
Selma, Alabama. I ask those present today to join me in honoring Fred 
D. Williams III for his retirement and commending him for his many 
achievements on behalf of the State of Alabama.

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