Sad News

[StephenLawson]

Greetings all;

A research icon has "gone west."

The last Honoree to be inducted into the Lafayette Flying Corps under documentaion of the original members, George H. Williams died in Dallas Texas on Sunday, July 9, 2006.

As many of you know George was a mover and a shaker with the old Cross & Cockade USA and was the first President of Over the Front. For years he work as a volunteer at UTD. All of his papers and documents were donated there and they have honored him by naming their Aviation Collection after him. Unselfish, diplomatic a gentleman above and beyond the call. For years there wasn't a photo in the old Cross & Cockade USA that was not reprinted for publication by him. Documents were sent and George was notified last year. There will be no further honorees with documentation supported by the original members.

Lafayette Escadrille or Corps!?!

UTD Ferko Collection

[StephenLawson]

Here is the obit from the Dallas area newspapers. Courtesy of Larry Sall at UTD.

"George H. Williams, Jr., namesake of the world class George H. Williams World War I Aviation Collection at The University of Texas at Dallas, died Sunday, July 9, 2006 at his home in Dallas.

A veteran of World War II and an insurance executive, Williams became interested in World War I research as a young man in Waco, Texas. His research evolved into a passion and he assembled a considerable amount of material that became the cornerstone of UTD’s World War I Collection. It has been praised by the Smithsonian Institution and The History Channel and used by researchers worldwide.

“George Williams was instrumental in making our History of Aviation Collection the premier place to study World War I aviation,” said Erik D. Carlson, Ph.D., co-ordinator of the Special Collections Department. “His dedication and effort had a tremendous impact on this archive that will last for many decades.”
Williams not only donated materials to the collection but he became one of the first volunteers to process McDermott Library’s aviation holdings. He was chairman of the Advisory Board for the entire History of Aviation Collection. He served in that role at McDermott Library for 20 years. His dedication to the World War I collection was pivotal in UTD’s acquisition of the remarkable A.E. Ferko collection of rare German aviation photographs. The collection includes squadron lists and combat reports.

According to Larry Sall, Dean of Libraries at UTD, Williams was primarily responsible for making “our World War I aviation material one of the best collections of its type in the world.” Sall, who administered the aviation collection for 20 years, also worked closely with Mr. Williams in organizing and enlarging the collection. That was made easier thanks to Mr. Williams’ extensive connections with collectors and scholars who trusted and admired his dedication.

Williams organized and served as president of the League of World War I Aviation Historians and started the group’s publication, Over the Front. He also organized a seminar for the League of World War I Aviation Historians at UTD in 1988. The last three living U.S. flying aces from World War I gathered for the event that boasted some 125 aviation scholars from around the world.
Born at Frost, Texas on April 7, 1915, Williams spent his youth in Waco and graduated from Baylor University in 1939. With the outbreak of World War II in Europe, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. After attending Harvard University to study radio and electronics, he was reassigned to the 94th Signal Battalion.
In late 1944 he was in the vanguard of Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army as it rushed to relieve surrounded U.S. soldiers in Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. Dean Sall recalls Mr. Williams telling of the terrible conditions during that maneuver and of Gen. Patton’s impatience which Lt. Williams experienced first hand as he and his men led Third Army north toward Bastogne.

In March of 1945 his unit arrived at the famous Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen the day it was captured, and he and his unit were responsible for maintaining communications across the bridge as the Germans attempted to destroy it. The bridge later collapsed killing several American soldiers but not before the 9th Armored Division established a bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Rhine. The bridge was never rebuilt. After Williams retired he and his son Scott went on a trip along the Rhine in the early 1980s and revisited the battle site. They also visited locations in France and England.
He remained active in the Army reserve through the early 1950s. In civilian life he worked in the mortgage loan division at Equitable Life Insurance Co. in Dallas. Williams was quite active in the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Royal Lane in Dallas.

His beloved wife 62 years, Ginny, was at his side when he died. He was preceded in death by his daughter Holly Hays and granddaughter Kristi Hays. He is survived by wife Ginny Williams, daughter Kaye Peterson and husband Robert, son Scott Williams and wife Linda, six grandchildren, three great grandchildren, sister Emily Tooker, brother Ralph Williams and wife Lee.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 5923 Royal Lane, in Dallas. The Williams family has asked that contributions made be made in his name to the George H. Williams World War I Aviation Collection, McDermott Library, The University of Texas at Dallas."

[Gregvan]

Thanks for posting that, Stephen. I was planning to put something here, but you have done a far better job than I could have.

Most Forumites will not have heard of George, but those of us who were involved in Cross & Cockade (US) in its last days, or with "Over the Front" at its inception, were privileged to have known him and our lives are the richer for it. George was THE founder of The League of WWI Aviation Historians, and "Over the Front" would not exist if it hadn't been for George. He was the League's first managing editor and remained its President Emeritus. As Stephen noted, the amazing repository that the History of Aviation Collection has become owes its entire WWI collection to George's unflagging efforts. It is a measure of the immense respect he held in the WWI research community, that so many eminent historians willed or donated their personal collections to UTD.

Soon after UTD acquired the Ferko collection, I made a pilgrimage down to Dallas at George's invitation to investigate the collection. What a week it was! George went out of his way to provide me with access to the treasures there, and even provided me with his own valuable camera to shoot copy negs. George was an absolute wizard with his camera, and even very late in his life spent hours developing beautiful prints in his darkroom, for anyone who would ask. He and his gracious wife Ginny were generous and kind hosts, going above and beyond in their hospitality. George was the epitome of the southern Gentleman - soft-spoken, generous and a fiercely loyal Texan.

We all owe George a tremendous debt. I will miss him.

Greg VanWyngarden

[StephenLawson]

As one of our favorite members says, Blue Skys George.

[alex_revell]

Sad news indeed. One of the nicest people I've ever met.
Alex

[ONEALM]

I never George, but did have some correspondence with him. Always helpful, he provided some of the initial material to sustain my NJ project.

What inevitably happens with people like George - and I have to say, many, many here on the Aerodrome - is that their contributions trickle down through multiple layers of contact.

Some of the information I've used in my study was provided through Bill Bailey - by way of George Williams who initially provided it to Bill. The web of contacts is wide indeed and we here have all benefited in one way or another from George's body of work.

While we'll miss his contributions, we should all be thankful for the legacy he has left us - the C&C and subsequently OtF, the large number of articles he contributed to C&C and the most obvious, the G.H. Williams collection at UTD. Gone from our sight, his efforts will benefit many future researchers.

RIP.

[agblume]

I just learned yesterday from Rick that George Williams had passed away on Sunday. I can only second what others have said above, a friend and mentor who will be sadly missed. agblume