Monticello Live

Joe Williams, Jr. was born and raised in Monticello, and graduated from Monticello High School in 1982.  He attended and graduated from UAM with a B.A. in computer science.

Joe has spent the last 4 years employed as receiving manager for School Apperal’s Star City facility, but is best know from the more than 20 years he spent at Burlington Industries, here in Monticello.

He started working at Burlington in 1982, but was told by the personnel manager that if he was going to quit school, that he wasn’t going to get hired, but that he should get promoted after he graduated.  Joe took the challenge, completed his education, and began his way up the Burlington ladder of supervision.

From the early time he spent as a fork-lift driver, to department manager, to the position of superintendent over distribution, where he was responsible for the shipping, sewing, large rugs, inspection, and printing departments, he continued to learn and practice the skills of management, and even achieved the position of plant manager of the Burlington plant in Mexico (1994-1998), while still spending half of his time at the Monticello facility.  Joe considers this challenge to have been his biggest, due to the communication barriers that had to be overcome, to be successful in that facility.  Joe compliments the late Everett Gowan as being his “mentor” and teaching him so much about industry and management skills.

Joe’s wife, Jackie, is a quality inspector for Armstrong Flooring, in Warren, and was employed at Burlington for 14 years.  She also has a license in childcare.

Both Joe and Jackie have been lisenced as insurance agents for life, health, home, and auto insurance since 2001.

Dawun, their 18 year old son, is a senior at MHS, and plans to attend Arkansas State University, to pursue a degree in civil engineering.  Dawun has participated in the Arkansas Baptist State Convention Debate Competition, and has won the event in both 2006 and 2007.  He is also scheduled to compete this year.  Dawun has also had the opportunity to serve as a guest speaker at many churches, all over the state.

Moesha and Iesha (twins) are 5th graders at MIS, and are very active at church, taking part in the choir, speaking events, and other youth activities, under the guidance of their youth director, Mae Simpson.

The Williams family are members of Sixteenth Section Baptist Church, on the McGehee Highway, where Rev. George Toney III is pastor.  Joe is a deacon, president of the laymen’s dept., and takes part in many of the church’s activities, especially youth events.  He is also a 32nd degree Mason.

Joe’s hobbies include hunting and watching sports.  The family has 2 pet labs, a parakeet, and a cat.

Joe considers his “phrase” to be, “If there’s nothing you can do to change the situation, then you don’t need to worry that problem.”

He also likes, “The Lord is not going to put more on you, than you can bear.”

Joe’s favorites include:

Restaurant-Brown’s County Store & Restaurant, in Benton

TV Show-ESPN programs

Sports team-Dallas Cowboys

Movie-10 Commandments

Actor-Denzell Washington

Music-Gospel

Song-Behold the Lamb of God

Book-The Bible

Thanks, Joe Williams, for sharing your One Monticello Life.

Click here to read more editions of One Monticello Life.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 5:15 pm and is filed under Feature: OML. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.