Lyndell Williams
TPA executive vice president 1974-1998

Memorial Tributes
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Marshall Day
Publisher Gatesville Messenger & TPA board chairman

"Lyndell was probably the primary reason Texas Press Association enjoys the financial stability it has today. Tight-fisted as they come, Lyndell was focused, resourceful and determined in his efforts to lift our association above all the other state associations--and he did it. We all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Lyndell. Because of him, we are all enjoying tremendous member benefits years after his retirement."

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Rollie Hyde
Broker & TPA President 1997-98

"It was my good fortune to know Lyndell Williams for over 35 years, first meeting him in Oklahoma and then working much closer with him for a number of years when I served on the board of the TPA. I was amazed at the powerhouse organization the TPA had became. From being very few assets to having millions of dollars in reserves. Recruiting talented staff to provide such a myriad of services to our members. Selling millions of dollars worth of national ads for member newspapers.

"Lyndell was a friend to all of us and a gifted advisor to most of us on almost any newspaper topic."

"I will miss him dearly."

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Wanda Garner Cash
Univ. of Texas journalism professor & TPA President 2004-05

"From my first introduction to Lyndell in 1980, he was a mentor, friend and wise counselor on any issue involving community journalism.

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Willis Webb
TPA President 2003-04

"Lyndell Williams took what was at the time the toughest association job in the nation and made it look easy. His prowess at establishing financial stability is now legendary. Lyndell built the Texas Press Association into the best state press group in the nation. He gave TPA the solid base it needed to provide, through the best state press association staff in the country, what is now the most outstanding program of member service in the nation. What he built will be long-lasting and should be long remembered.

"On a personal level, Lyndell helped me grow in my profession and pointed me toward the signature publishing job of my career."

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Roy Eaton
Publisher Wise County Messenger & National Newspaper Association President 1996-97

"There was no one more helpful to me when we purchased our newspaper than Lyndell Williams. He was always the very best at member service and was an inspiration to me. I considered Lyndell both a personal and professional mentor and friend. He will be missed."

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Mary Judson
Co-publisher Port Aransas South Jetty & TPA President 1990-91

"What Murray and I remember and appreciate most about Lyndell was his concern for TPA members. For example, Port Aransas has been brushed by a hurricane, and Lyndell called to check on us. As Murray was telling Lyndell that we came out without a scratch, we got a call on the other line reporting that Lyndell's home had been struck by a tornado in the aftermath of that storm. He didn't mention that to Murray.

"I also remember the first TPA meeting Murray and I attended after we were married, in June 1976. Lyndell took us under his wing and made us feel welcome and important, and he never stopped treating us that way. The good news is, he passed that trait on to Mike Hodges."

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Jerry Tidwell
Publisher Hood County News & TPA President 1996-97

"Lyndell Williams was a friend. What impressed me most about Lyndell was the way he handled my phone call the first time I called him. I had just been named publisher of the Lamb County Leader-News in Littlefield and was young and inexperienced.

"Instead of treating me like the new kid on the block, Lyndell acted as if he had nothing else to do except to visit with me. I'll never forget that kindness, which set the stage for a long-term friendship.

"The Texas Press Association will miss Lyndell. He was a great money manager and a great friend."

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David Steely
Division Manager, Scan Systems Corporation, Houston

"Lyndell Williams was a professional's professional. Lyndell represented TPA more than adequately when dealing with the Governors, legislature, advertisers and TPA membership. He understood better than most the importance of community newspapers and did his very best to give them the tools needed to be better publications.

"I was fortunate enough to have been associated with several of his innovative plans in the 1970s as he began shaping the TPA into the premier association it became. He worked with some outstanding publishers and citizens and had the good sense to seek their counsel often. My father (Tom Steely TPA president 1973-74) was on the board that hired him and he often said that vote was one of the best he had ever cast."

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Phil Major
Publisher Clay County Leader & TPA President

"What Lyndell Williams meant to the Texas Press Association simply cannot be overstated. He basically saved this organization from bankruptcy and shepherded it into one whose financial strength is the envy of professional associations across the nation.

"But just as important, he made sure that all TPA members felt they were a vital part of this organization.

"I was a newspaper staff member when I first became involved in TPA, not a publisher, but he made me feel like I belonged and that my contributions were important. We owe a huge thanks to Lyndell for many of the benefits we enjoy today as members of this special group."

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John Crawford
TPA President 1983-84

"When I was TPA president in 1984, Lyndell had been working 10 years on the finances, and he phoned me that he had put together $1 million for a reserve CD and by shopping around had found an Austin savings and loan which offered him 18 percent interest. 'What do you think?' he asked. The answer to that was easy! I wasn't on the board when Lyndell was hired, but was active in TPA and knew its poor financial condition when he came on board. He set a pattern for fiscal responsibility that I have been proud to see continued while expanding member services.

"With another phone call, Lyndell suggested I appoint Roy Eaton to the NNA Board. I agreed, and you all know that led to Roy becoming NNA president. During his long service to TPA, Lyndell Williams laid a foundation for progress which has been ably built upon by his successor, Micheal Hodges, and the officers and directors of the Texas Press Association."

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Keith Jensen
Former General Manager, South Dakota Newspaper Association

"Although not a TPA member, I would like to share a comment with all of you at the loss of Lyndell Williams. Lyndell was a genuine friend during my 16 years as general manager of the South Dakota Newspaper Association (1980-1996), and I am saddened at his death.

"I do believe that Lyndell was the consummate gentleman, and I am glad that I had an opportunity to know him. I visited him at the TPA offices on several occasions, and, of course, saw him at meetings of the Newspaper Association Managers (NAM). He was genuine, honest, friendly, and a true professional with a broad knowledge of newspaper issues and concerns. I know that Lyndell will rest in peace because his job was as well-lived as was his life in general."