When he was a kid, Harry Williams ’42 kept score on a chalkboard for the Wofford men’s basketball team in exchange for free admission to Andrews Field House. That was the start of a lifetime relationship.
Williams, a member of the Wofford Athletics Hall of Fame and a founding member of the Terrier Club, died Jan. 13. He was 102.
“Harry Williams possessed all the traits that we should all strive to have,” says Richard Johnson, director of athletics. “Kind, gentle, even-tempered, he was just a sweet soul. Harry left us with an example of a life lived fully with nothing left undone. Truly, Harry was the embodiment of the Wofford ideal.”
Williams was a three-sport studentathlete at Wofford, competing in football, basketball and tennis. He used to say he had a perfect record on the tennis court — never winning a match as the No. 6 singles player.
After graduating, Williams entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant and rose to the rank of captain during World War II. He graduated from the Officers Advanced Infantry Course at Fort Benning, Ga., and the Command andGeneral Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He completed his active duty in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1951 and the South Carolina National Guard until 1966, retiring as a colonel.
Williams returned to Spartanburg after the war and co-founded CWS Insurance Agency. He served as president of the local insurance association and on insurance company advisory boards before he retired in 1990.
Williams was a fixture at Wofford football and basketball games. In 1946, Williams was one of the founders of the Eleven Club, an organization that encouraged Wofford alumni and friends to donate $11 to support the athletics program. As its membership and mission grew in scope, the Eleven Club became the Terrier Club. He also established an endowed scholarship to support Wofford’s student-athletes.
He was the first Distinguished Service Award Inductee to the Wofford Athletics Hall of Fame and was a 2011 Southern Conference Distinguished Service Award recipient.
Williams didn’t let age slow him down. He enjoyed playing golf and scored fourholes in one, the last when he was 86. He went skydiving on his 93rd, 94th and 95th birthdays. In 2020, he celebrated his 100th birthday by getting his driver’s license renewed.
“Harry Williams was truly a treasure,” says Luke Feisal ’14, associate athletics director for athletics development. “He was a positive influence on Wofford College and the Terrier Club over his lifetime. He was a passionate man with a heart for others, and his legacy will continue to impact the Wofford community.” 40