Emory Williams
Encyclopedia
Emory Williams, Sr is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer of the Sears Bank & Trust Company. Williams was born in Falco, Alabama
, and grew up in Quitman
, Mississippi
. He was a member of the graduating class of 1932 from Emory University
, where there is now a teaching award for academic excellence that bears his name. During World War II
, Williams was primarily based in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II
, working with Lord Mountbatten. At Sears Roebuck Williams headed the company's Brazilian operations before moving to the headquarters in Chicago, Illinois in 1960 to take up the organization of Homart, a real estate development company.
(a Sears Roebuck and Co. subsidiary). Williams soon became, at the same time, Vice President, Treasurer and later Chief Financial Officer of Sears Roebuck and Co. In 1975, following retirement from Sears Roebuck, he became Chairman of the Sears Bank & Trust (later acquired by Old Kent Bank) and directed its transition from a west side neighborhood bank to a downtown Chicago banking institution. Williams then became Chairman and President of the Chicago Milwaukee Corp., a railroad and real estate holding company, from which he retired in 1983.
Williams has served as a Director of the following New York Stock Exchange
companies:
Williams has served as the President of the Chicago Crusade of Mercy (United Way), President and Life Trustee of the Adler Planetarium
, President and Life Trustee of the Ravinia Festival Association, President of the Chicago Community Fund, Chairman of the Illinois Health Education Commission, Chairman-Finance of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital
, Trustee of the Charles W. Kellstadt Foundation and as a Life Trustee of Emory University. He established the Emory Williams Awards for Excellence in Teaching at Emory University
and at the University of Chicago
Graduate School of Business.
, Illinois
and winters in Loblolly Bay, a private club in Hobe Sound
, Florida
. The youngest of his five children, Emory Williams, Jr., has lived and worked in China since the 1990s and is a member of Young Presidents' Organization
and has also chaired the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing
. His grandchildren include Olympic oarsman Jamie Schroeder
. He turned 100
in 2011.
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and grew up in Quitman
Quitman, Mississippi
Quitman is a city in Clarke County, Mississippi, USA, along the Chickasawhay River. The population was 2,463 at the 2000 census. The county seat of Clarke County, it is the hometown of San Antonio Spurs power forward Antonio McDyess and the birthplace of writer Wyatt Emory Cooper.-Geography:Quitman...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. He was a member of the graduating class of 1932 from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, where there is now a teaching award for academic excellence that bears his name. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Williams was primarily based in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II
South-East Asian theatre of World War II
The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in Burma , Ceylon, India, Thailand, Indochina, Malaya and Singapore. Conflict in the theatre began when the Empire of Japan invaded Thailand and Malaya from bases located in Indochina on December 8,...
, working with Lord Mountbatten. At Sears Roebuck Williams headed the company's Brazilian operations before moving to the headquarters in Chicago, Illinois in 1960 to take up the organization of Homart, a real estate development company.
Career
Williams was the first President of Homart Development CompanyHomart Development Company
Homart Development Company, a subsidiary of Sears, was one of the largest builders of shopping centers and malls in the United States from 1959 to 1995.-Company history:...
(a Sears Roebuck and Co. subsidiary). Williams soon became, at the same time, Vice President, Treasurer and later Chief Financial Officer of Sears Roebuck and Co. In 1975, following retirement from Sears Roebuck, he became Chairman of the Sears Bank & Trust (later acquired by Old Kent Bank) and directed its transition from a west side neighborhood bank to a downtown Chicago banking institution. Williams then became Chairman and President of the Chicago Milwaukee Corp., a railroad and real estate holding company, from which he retired in 1983.
Williams has served as a Director of the following New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
companies:
- Armstrong Rubber Co. (acquired by Mark IV Industries)
- Roper Corporation (acquired by General Electric Co.)
- General Portland Cement Co. (acquired by Lafarge)
- V.S.I. Corporation
- Ft. Dearborn Income Securities (NYSE: FDI)
- Chicago Milwaukee Corp. (acquired by Canadian National Railway)
- Foote, Cone, Belding Communications, Inc. (acquired by Interpublic Cos.)
- Bobbie Brooks, Inc.
Williams has served as the President of the Chicago Crusade of Mercy (United Way), President and Life Trustee of the Adler Planetarium
Adler Planetarium
The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum in Chicago, Illinois was the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere and is the oldest in existence today. Adler was founded and built in 1930 by the philanthropist Max Adler, with the assistance of the first director of the planetarium, Philip Fox...
, President and Life Trustee of the Ravinia Festival Association, President of the Chicago Community Fund, Chairman of the Illinois Health Education Commission, Chairman-Finance of the Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of the nation's preeminent academic medical centers and is the primary teaching hospital for Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. It is the second tallest hospital in the United States and the fourth tallest hospital in the world...
, Trustee of the Charles W. Kellstadt Foundation and as a Life Trustee of Emory University. He established the Emory Williams Awards for Excellence in Teaching at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
and at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Graduate School of Business.
Personal
Williams currently lives with his wife of over 67 years, Janet Williams, in WilmetteWilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and winters in Loblolly Bay, a private club in Hobe Sound
Hobe Sound, Florida
Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,376 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography and climate:...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The youngest of his five children, Emory Williams, Jr., has lived and worked in China since the 1990s and is a member of Young Presidents' Organization
Young Presidents' Organization
The Young Presidents’ Organization is a global network of young chief executives. With approximately 18,000 members in more than 100 countries, YPO and its graduate organization, WPO share a founding mission: Better Leaders Through Education and Idea Exchange....
and has also chaired the American Chamber of Commerce in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. His grandchildren include Olympic oarsman Jamie Schroeder
Jamie Schroeder
James Lee Schroeder Jr is an American rower, and a victorious Oxford Blue. He is married to fellow Stanford alum, Kelsey Twist...
. He turned 100
Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...
in 2011.