Ceaser Williams, Jr.

Ceaser Williams, 61, of Independence, MO passed away Tuesday, December 21, 2010. He was a lifelong journalist and later a teacher, who often said his goal in life was to do his part to “preserve the beauty of the English language, one young mind at a time.” Ceaser was born August 26, 1949 in Buffalo, New York to Ceaser Moyce Williams, Sr. and Margaret Lee Poston. His dream as a boy was to become a Catholic priest. He entered seminary midway through high school, but finished his secondary education at a public high school in Buffalo. From there he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. where as president of his freshman class he attended the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr. He often spoke of having had the privilege of attending both King's funeral and the funeral of Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of the African nation of Ghana and an advocate of the Pan-African movement. During his college days, Ceaser traveled extensively through West Africa and Europe. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Buffalo. He spent a life in journalism, early on as a writer and later as an editor at several major newspapers, including the Buffalo Evening News, The Philadelphia Enquirer, Newsday, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution and two stints as an editor at The Kansas City Star. Having spent the early part of a 30 plus year career as a music reviewer, he became a lover of genres from Celtic to opera and jazz to hip hop, with a particular affection for classic R&B. During his time in Atlanta, he also taught journalism at Clark Atlanta University. And was the author of “From The Water,” a collection of stories he wrote about the deadly 1994 flood in South Georgia. When he left the newsroom, Ceaser went on to teach briefly in the Kansas City Public School District and later taught journalism at William Chrisman High School in Independence. He was affectionately known to students as “Mr. Old School,” during his teaching career, which included substitute work in the Independence, Fort Osage and Blue Springs districts. He also resurrected his editing consultant business, Williams Words Write, through which he served as managing editor for Prudence International Magazine and helped the Kansas City Call launch the now defunct Jackson County Community News. Most recently, in his “semi-retirement,” Ceaser served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. He is survived by his loving wife of 20 years, Mara Rose Williams; sons Ceaser Moyce “Trey” Williams, III, Jordan Williams; brother Ardis F. Smith, Jr. and wife Estella; sister Carol Rivera and husband Julio; and by a host of nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents. Services will be 3 p.m. Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at Speaks Suburban Chapel. Visitation will be from 1-3 p.m. in the chapel. Cremation to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the National Association of Black Journalists, 1100 Knight Hall, College Park, Md. 20742.