CARL M. WILLIAMS PAPERS

Carl Michael Williams was born November 9, 1928 in Douglas, Wyoming, the fourth son of John Walter and Eleanor Powers Williams. His father was a second generation cattle rancher in Wyoming and his mother, Eleanor, was born in Pennsylvania. His grandfather, John Torrence Williams, moved West in 1878 and never returned to Wisconsin. Williams married the former Lizzie Ragsdale, and together the couple had three children, and acquired the land that eventually became a 33,000-acre ranch.

Williams attended school in Douglas and served as president of his junior class. After being named an all-conference football player, he graduated from high school in 1946. He attended the University of Wyoming from 1946-1948, and completed his bachelors degree in economics at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1950. After graduation he joined the U.S. Air Force, training at Goodfellow Air Force Base (San Angelo, Texas), and Williams Air Force Base (Chandler, Arizona), to become a fighter pilot. He served until 1952, and subsequently attained the rank of Captain in the Air National Guard while serving from 1953-1958. In 1956, he received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (J.D.) from the University of Wyoming.

Williams practiced law in Wyoming and was the attorney for the Wyoming House of Representatives during the 1957 session. Williams moved to Denver in 1957 where he co-founded with Bill Daniels, Televents, Inc., a Colorado cable television company. Williams served first as General Counsel and, ultimately, became sole shareholder and president. He expanded the business to California, Wyoming, and Florida and served on the Board of Directors of the National Cable Television Association and the Colorado Cable Television Association. In October of 1986, Western Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI) acquired Televents Group Inc. for $145 million.

Carl M. Williams married Ginny Lee Downer on December 29, 1957, and they had two children, Eleanor Lee Payne and Michael Carl. They divorced in 1996. In 1997, Williams married Lisa Peterson Wait. She had two children, Jacqueline and Bryan, from a previous marriage.

Williams' father had been active in Wyoming politics. Carl followed his lead, working first as an area coordinator for the Barry Goldwater presidential campaign in 1964, then as an area lieutenant for Colorado district 17 in 1965-1966. This was followed by his election as the Republican precinct committeeman for 1966-1968. In 1968, Williams ran as a Republican and was elected State Senator from Colorado's 9th District. During his four-year term in office, he sponsored legislation on environment, health, welfare and law enforcement. He also served as Chairman of the State Senate Affairs Committee. He did not run for reelection in 1972, choosing instead to work behind the scenes on behalf of candidates, and to support them with donations. He was elected Colorado Republican State Chairman in 1974, and to the Republican National Committee in 1975. In 1976, he founded the Colorado Elephant Club, a Republican finance support group. He was a delegate to the 1980 Republican National Convention.

Williams has served on numerous councils and committees including: the GOP State Committee, Governing Council of Denver's Community Colleges, Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, Mountain States Legal Foundation, National Cable Television Center, and the Foundation for Drug Education.

Williams displayed a keen interest in flying during childhood when his father was a pilot. He wanted to fly during the Korean War so much so that he had surgery to correct a health problem that would have prevented his acceptance into the military. His experience as a fighter pilot along with his service in the Colorado National Guard fueled his passion for flying, which resulted in his ownership of more than a dozen aircraft over the years. He held ratings for commercial, multi-engine, single engine, instruments, and seaplane. Williams was a member of the Colorado Pilots Association, Colorado Aviation Historical Society, Colorado Antique Airplane Association, International Aerobatic Club, and even competed in aerobatic contests. Williams was inducted into the Colorado Aviation Hall of Fame in 1997. His lifelong passion for flight led him to help create the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, which awarded him their inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Williams was co-chair of the Jack Swigert Memorial Committee, which placed a statue of the Colorado native, astronaut (Apollo XIII), and elected congressman in the National Statuary Hall in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The committee raised the funds necessary for the sculpture, and on May 22, 1997 the bronze statue was unveiled.

Williams later served as president of Carl M. Williams and Associates. He was active in politics, philanthropy and education. His philanthropic efforts at the University of Wyoming and the University of Denver were designed to advance the discussion of ethics. He was a member of the University of Denver Board of Trustees and benefactor of DU's Carl M. Williams Institute of Ethics and Values, established in 1998.

Carl M. Williams died in Denver, Colorado on November 27, 2015.