Bill K. Williams collection

Content Description

Included in 3 folders are papers from Bill K. Williams, compiled by former Tennessee Technological University President and Professor Dr. Robert Bell. Bill Kenneth Williams was born on August 28, 1918. He was a soldier in the U.S. Army from 1938-1960, obtained the rank of First Lieutenant and was a World War II veteran. Williams, a former TTU student, returned to TTU finish his degree in 2009, at age 91. He earned an associate’s degree from Motlow State Community College in the 1970s and earned 40 hours of credit in business education at TTU in 1974. He was able to finish his degree in Interdisciplinary Studies which allowed him to use his life experiences and existing college credit to complete his degree. The collection includes memoirs regarding his return to school, correspondence, newspaper clippings, vital statistic documents, awards, certificates, and papers and correspondence from the United States Army. The folders also include notes and a syllabus for a class Williams attended at TTU, University 4995. The class titled “Lessons in Leadership” was taught by Dr. Bell. Also contained in the folder is the obituary of Colonel Robert Farley, Williams’ great uncle, and a newspaper article about Colonel Farley’s death; and an article about the drowning of Jeremiah Whitson, his wife and other family members in 1931 at Burgess Falls. The Whitson’s were relatives of Bill Williams and Colonel Farley and a brief history of the Farley family is included. Copied pages from the books Putnam County Tennessee 1850-1970 by Mary Jean DeLozier and The Story of Tennessee Tech by Austin Wheeler Smith also mention Colonel Robert Farley.

Acquisition Type

Gift

Restrictions Apply

Yes

Access Restrictions

Contains personal information

Use Restrictions

Some pages are brittle and the newspaper articles are fragile