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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
21-111
In the Council of the District of Columbia
September 22, 2015
To celebrate the life of James Clinton Williams.
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams was born February 20, 1925 in Wilson, North Carolina to the late John and Daisy Williams as the second youngest of 5 children, and spent most of his childhood in Baltimore, Maryland engaging in all sorts of youthful adventure and mischief;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams held a deep love of sports, specifically football and basketball, that continued throughout his life since his youth, as he enjoyed watching games on television as he sat in his favorite recliner chair;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams was drafted to serve in the United States Navy during World War II while attending Frederick Douglass High School, and at the war’s end, he returned home and to school, where he played on the football team until he graduated;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams’s first job was as a security guard for the federal government in the District of Columbia;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams later took a job painting rooms and signs in military homes at Fort McNair Military base, became a full-time employee based on the quality of his work, and remained there until he retired;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams had a passion for art and a skill he shared with the world through one of his internationally known designs, the well-known Toys ‘R’ Us logo that he created while working as a security guard at a toy store called Children’s Bargain Town in the District of Columbia;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams and 2 other artists were asked by the owner of Children’s Bargain Town to come up with a logo design for the store’s new name, “Toys Are Us,” with the opening of their second store;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams, while brainstorming ideas, wrote the name of the store to look as if a child had written it. Then, he asked his children to write the name of the store in their own handwriting and noticed that his daughter, Shelley, wrote the “r” backwards. He decided to drop the letters “a” and “e” and added 2 apostrophes, and the iconic Toys ‘R’ Us logo was born;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams measured himself as a husband, father, son, and brother, striving to be a model to his family, offering unconditional love in whatever ways it was needed—through sound advice, a helping hand, a playful point-of-view or simply his contagious humor, and embodying a loving and enduring spirit that will live on in their hearts forever;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams was preceded in death by his wife and son, Evelyn and Bruce Williams; his 3 siblings, Clovis, John, and Hattie; his grandson, Quincy Moody; and son-in-law, Allen Moody, Jr.;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams is survived by his 2 children, James Williams II and Shelley Williams-Moody; his sister, Hedy Brown; 5 grandchildren, India Dixon, Allene Bryant (Frank A. Bryant), Nicole Williams, Janelle Williams, and John Williams; 10 great-grandchildren; and a host of other relatives and friends;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams was affectionately known as “Granddaddy” to family and friends alike, had a humble spirit, an uncontainable curiosity about life, and a contagious sense of humor;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams lived his life with happiness, innovation, and compassion, believing that “Everything is beautiful in its own way,” as he sang repeatedly in his final days;
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams was a resident of the Hillcrest community in Ward 7 for over 50 years; and
WHEREAS, James Clinton Williams passed on July 14, 2015.
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, that the Council of the District of Columbia honors the creativity, life, and legacy of James Clinton Williams.
Sec. 2. This resolution may be cited as the “James Clinton Williams Recognition Resolution of 2015”.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
