William "Buck" Williams

William A. "Buck" Williams
August 30, 1935 - July 11, 2011
Chapel Hill
William A. "Buck" Williams, age 75, of Chapel Hill passed away peacefully on July 11th, 2011. Buck was born in Orlando, Florida on August 30th, 1935. He was the son of Claude and Louisa Plowden Williams both of who preceded him in death. After graduating from Plant High School in Tampa, Florida he attended the University of Florida from 1954 to 1957 where he starred on the baseball team, including the 1956 SEC championship team where he was a starting pitcher. Buck was a three year letterman and served as the freshman baseball coach in 1958. Upon graduation he was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Coast Guard and served in Hawaii from 1959-1962. He was decommissioned a lieutenant in 1962 and continued to serve in the Reserves from 1964-68.
Upon completion of his military duty he went to work for Union-Camp Corporation as a sales trainee in 1962. He ascended through several leadership positions before accepting the position of Vice President and General Manager of the Bag Division from 1983-1993 at the corporate offices in Wayne, New Jersey. He was also a member of the 85th AMP Class at Harvard in 1981. After his retirement from Union Camp in 1993, Buck was hired in 1995 as Chairman, President and CEO of The Equitable Bag Company located in Long Island City, New York for a short period prior to his relocation to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Once in North Carolina, Buck continued to live his life to the fullest. He immersed himself with spending time with family, grandchildren and friends through travel, entertaining and sports. His travels took him to golf courses, foreign countries and regional landmarks where he created opportunities to get to know others as his way of creating a "family" as Buck never met a stranger.
His passion for mentoring others began a six year association with Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 2005. He was the Assistant Director of MBA Admissions at the school. His role of interviewing incoming candidates extended beyond the admission process because he personalized the process by putting his heart and soul into the interview. Many students reflect that it was because of Buck that they chose Kenan Flagler and he routinely continued to enrich their experience at the business school through personal contact, entertaining and leadership mentoring. Buck's philosophy of leadership was rooted in his unwavering desire to make every individual feel their total worth as a person. He believed a culture of love was a culture pre-destined for collective achievement.
Buck is survived by his wife of 50 years, Anne Dooley Williams, and his three children; Leslie W. Moore and husband Dr. David Moore and their two children, Sara Braeden and William Ferguson; Lynne W. Burns and husband Chandler S. Burns and their three children Chandler Whitaker, Jackson Williams and Camryn Regan; Gary Patrick Williams and wife Julie Schneider and their two daughters, Mackenzie Reed and Addie Regan. His proudest accomplishment in life is this family.
The family would like to thank the countless friends who visited Buck during his period of treatment for cancer and their outpouring of thoughts, prayers and gestures of kindness. The family would like to acknowledge Dr. William Kim and the countless staff at UNC Hospitals for their care and support of him, Dr. Stuart Bondurant, and the Meadowlands Hospice in Hillsborough, North Carolina who cared for him during his final days.
A visitation will take place at the Carolina Club in the George Watts Hill Center located on the University of North Carolina campus from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday July 14th.
A Service of Christian Burial will take place at The Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at 2 p.m. on Friday July 15th.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kenan Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina in the name of Buck Williams to be designated for a scholarship.