Vincent
Williams - Class of 1955
I wish to apologize here at the outset for any of the accidental accuracies that might have found their way into this bio. I think a number of them did slip by me, and when they started, it was “flood-city”! I couldn’t seem to hold them back. I was born when I was still quite young. Had the usual childhood experiences: kicking dogs, worshipping several cult leaders, trying on clothes at Victoria’s Secret, etc. But,
not all of my formative years were so happy, by any means. For one thing,
I never learned to read or write. Now I don’t confess these
things to elicit pity; however, when pity (especially expressed in the
form of money) is showered upon me, I try not to blush.
My first girlfriend was Sally. Sally and I used to walk to school together holding hands: Holding Hands, that was the name of the school: Holding Hands School for Different-Type Children. Sally had beautiful black hair that went all the way down her back. [NONE on her head, but it DID go down her back.]. She also had a cute little nose that turned up .... and then down and over. But enough of these former "Oprah" type tales. I have had numerous performance experiences in my long life; one of the most memorable (I say "memorable" even though I rely on others to describe to me what happened) was that of acting the role of one of the three kings who rode camels and brought gifts to the baby Jesus at Christmas time. Even there, though, fate dealt me an unfortunately ugly blow, since the camel I was riding was a crusty, rank and bad-tempered creature. He threw me off his hump and knocked me frankincenseless. The performance obviously developed something of a glitch at that point. (One might even call it a sonofaglitch.) Well, although there is much more biographical mischief I could provide, to wax a bit more informative and a tad less impish, let me simply say I am married (as also is my wife Pat), a professional actor and artist. And after having taught theater and speech arts both in college and high school (now retired from 31 years of that Helen Williams-type adventure), my life has resolved itself to a dull roar. Pat and I have two sons, both grown and married. Older son, Jon, is a computer analyst with the U. S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. He and his wife Cindy have no children. Younger son Michael and his wife Maryjo have three little girls. who have discovered if they say, “Granddad, may I please have a mint,” something tasty their way comes. Mike is a copy editor for the Dubuque Telegraph Herald (local newspaper). (flashback) Dateline: Columbia, Missouri. The place: Lenore Home for Retirement east of Columbia (where my mother was employed as a nurse). It's August of 1954. The Williams family has just moved to Columbia from Roodhouse, a small railroad town in Illinois. Williams twins Vince and Kay are sitting in the spacious t.v. room and, realizing they'll be attending Hickman for their senior year of high school, they're hearing about the wonderful reputation of the KEWPIES. Evelyn Miller, co-administrator of Lenore, pronounces Hickman as "Just a marvelous high school! Their football team is known and feared throughout the state as one of the finest." The KEWPIES???!!! "But," and this is when both Vince and Kay paid even closer attention, "Hickman High School, under the loving care and teaching of Mrs. Helen D. Williams, is NATIONALLY known for its Verse Speaking Choir." Vince had been quite active in drama and speech back in Roodhouse, and Kay was already extraordinarily accomplished as a pianist and vocalist. And then ... THEN ... it happened in MUCH the same way as it has for hundreds or(HEAVENS ALIVE! Correcting myself) thousands of students. SPEECH CLASS! Mrs. Helen D. Williams, with her sweet, honest smile, her monumentally skillful leadership that made THIS class seem less like "school" and more like the most serendipitous, delectable experience a high school student (or ANY student) could POSSIBLY encounter. "Weep not, weep not, she is not dead. She's resting in the bosom of Jesus." Some 35 students (with a teacher's right arm beating the cadence) all totally enthralled were speaking together. The "vibes" were somehow strangely tuned to my own. And, you'll know what I mean when I say Mrs. Williams was clearly in love with all she did. And WASN'T THAT AN INFECTIOUS LOVE!!! (flash forward through that school year) Solos, leads, speech trips, performances, senior play? It was an exhilarating time of my life with solos in various orations and verses, being the ballad singer in The Lonesome Train, becoming Johnny Appleseed, singing a solo (I'll Be Home for Christmas) in the Christmas assembly, and acting the lead (Danny Churchill) in the senior play ("GIRL CRAZY"). And all of it felt like a very special compliment to me thanks to Helen D. Williams. The year came and went, as is true with everything and with us all. But, strange as it might seem, although Mrs. Williams passed away at age 95 on January 17, of 1991. "Weep not, weep not." ... Helen D. Williams is not dead. "She's resting in the bosom of Jesus". and in all our hearts. Hers was a major influence that prompted me to enter into a speech and drama teaching career. I'm sure she had that effect and a life-long influence on many others (many of you reading this, in fact). (flash forward to life's happenings) In an interesting pursuit of several and various artistic endeavors over the years, I’ve been a writer/actor/director for Brave New Workshop [satirical revue company] in Minneapolis; have worked with Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn and George Grizzard at the Guthrie Theater; have acted in a feature film with Sylvester Stallone, and in a CBS network television series episode with Ralph Waite (among a modest passel of life’s additional reckless “adventures“). Most
recently I acted the role of ship’s Dutch Captain William Van Schaick on
the June 16th 2004 History Channel docu-drama "SHIP ABLAZE, The General
Slocum Disaster". On a regular basis, I act the personage of William (Hawg)
Ryan in my original playlet “For cRyan Out Loud“. With my partner who acts
the part of Catherine (Mrs.) Ryan, we perform for many touring groups who
come to Dubuque from all parts of the country (and a few other parts of
the world) to enjoy the Historical Society’s Victorian Progressive Dinner.
Then, during the Christmas season my partner and I act the roles of Ellen
Ternan and Charles Dickens in another original script titled “A Christmas
Dickens”, in which, nestled amongst some light banter, we perform a shortened
version of “A Christmas Carol”, acting all the characters in a manner consistent
with how it could have been done in Dickens’ own time. All in all,
for this activity, we have performed my plays some 1400 times.
I also have held several art jobs including one with MFA Insurance, another with Minneapolis Honeywell and one with The University (of Missouri) Health Care Hospital in Columbia. In recent years, I’ve done some considerable painting in oils and have finished a series of nine paintings based on the Biblical beatitudes which has enjoyed two exhibitions and may have others before they're sold. Additionally, I’ve sung with a chorale which has toured many countries in concert; and another tour of Australia and New Zealand is planned for 2005. Now, try mightily as I did to prevent it, I’m afraid there are SOME factual bits of material here. However, I do have to close with something most sincere in saying I hope you’ll feel free to email me at vincewms@earthlink.net. [violins
time]
But, OH, how I enjoy laboring both by day and night sometimes crouching over the nearly exhausted candle just to decipher markings on each page that arrives; or else squinting at the computer screen with little if any clue as to what those strange letter configurations might mean. I’ve reached something of a ratiocination, however: in a word, I’d say there’s at least some blame to ascribe to incomprehensibility. I must resolve to make an effort towards adding literacy to my other capacities. Thank goodness for my eyes! Back to Kewpie of the Month Page Back to Top of Page
Over the past 6 years (or so) I've also been doing some on-going "fool the eye" style painting on a farm in Illinois. Work on a potting shed, a barn and other buildings are rather unique and interesting. Vince
Back to Kewpie of the Month Page Back to Top of Page SNOGGLE
SONNET
CREATION
snoggles all my DEEPER THINK,
How nincompoople
MAD i’d grow to be
if WHEN
were SELDOM EVER; NOT were IS;
So
just be happy THINGS is as they am--
"I
think this would have been a VERY GOOD "fun type" verse choir selection...
THE STORY OF ALTHEA
Back to Kewpie of the Month Page Back to Top of Page Poor In Spirit Persecuted
Three of my paintings from THE BEATITUDES
series of nine
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