Williams honored for service to ECU

GREENVILLE, NC  —   A local businessman and longtime supporter of East Carolina University was recognized for his outstanding commitment to service from the Council of Advancement and Support of Education.

Walter L. Williams, founder of Trade Oil Company and an alumnus of East Carolina University, was honored Feb. 6 with the Bill Franklin Volunteer of the Year Award for at the CASE District III meeting in Nashville, Tenn.

The award recognizes the role individuals play in the life of an institution particularly as it relates to fund-raising, alumni relations, and student recruiting. Nominees are judged on their overall volunteer contributions and on the long-term effect of those contributions on the institution and education.

“Every university would be fortunate to have a person like Walter Williams,” ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard said. “I find it difficult to visualize East Carolina University without his ongoing support and advocacy.”

Williams, who holds two degrees from ECU (1951, 1955), is a former member of the ECU Board of Trustees (1995-1999); is a longtime member of the ECU Educational Foundation (Pirate Club) (1966-present). He was co-chair of ECU’s Shared Visions Capital Campaign; the co-chair for the ECU Kick-Off to Victory Campaign, and a member of the ECU Baseball Stadium Campaign.