Longview ISD is mourning the loss of retired Assistant Superintendent Dennis Williams, who was loved by many and made an impact in the district and across East Texas.
Williams was part of Longview ISD for six years before retiring in the fall of 2022. Throughout his career, he held numerous roles in the education field, including former coach and assistant principal with Marshall ISD, where he worked for 15 years.
Saddened by the loss, Longview ISD superintendent James Wilcox, stressed Williams’ importance to the district.
“Dennis was a consummate professional in every facet of his role at Longview ISD. Faced with the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic and the rise of campus violence nationwide, Dennis provided excellent leadership and support for our campuses, employees, students, and families. In all of his interactions as a member of the district administration, his focus was always on what was best for the many people in our care. Our thoughts and prayers remain with his dear family during this time of grief,” Wilcox said.
For Eriel Harris, seventh-grade special education inclusion teacher at Forest Park Middle School and a former assistant for Williams, the longtime educator was family.
“He would make others laugh. He was just a big ball of energy, he was happy. If you were down, he would definitely make you laugh. He was the person that you could talk to about anything. He was the person that if you went to him sad you would turn around and come back with a smile,” Harris said. “When I say he was a good man, that is an understatement, he was truly an angel here on earth. Like I said, I’m thankful for having a great boss because not everybody has that opportunity to have a boss like him but I just thank him for everything that he’s done for me and the department.”
Harris considered Williams a mentor, and worked with him for seven years as his assistant before his retirement. Although Harris was working closely with Williams in the administrative and pupil services departments, she had a degree in early childhood education, and dreamt of becoming a teacher.
“He treated me like family and he mentored me. He actually gave me a timeline of achieving my goal, so not only did I work for him, he helped me achieve some of the goals I was able to accomplish in the district and one of those was becoming a teacher,” she said.
Harris mentioned that Williams was determined to get her to achieve her dreams and gave her a timeline of reaching it by the time he retired, or he was going to “fire her,” she jokingly said.
“I’m glad for him motivating me and pushing me because I didn’t have to get fired and I took that leap of faith in becoming a teacher because of him. He definitely taught me everything that he knew and he definitely prepared me for what I’m doing and what’s to come,” she said. “I remember when I got hired at Forest Park, he was my number one reference and he gave me a great reference. He supported me and I was able to show him pictures of my classroom. I was able to talk with him about some of the things that I was doing.”
According to Harris, she considered Williams as her second father and he would refer to her as his “work daughter.” Once he retired, Harris said the building didn’t feel the same without his presence. Now that she’s a teacher, she said she will miss him more.
“I’m kind of stuck now. Who can I call for advice or who’s gonna be there to cheer me on when things kind of get rough as a teacher, because he’s been there and done that,” she asked. “It’s been very hard these past couple of months, especially last week — it was a shocker. It was definitely really hurtful and my prayers definitely go to his family, but I just thank God, and I just thank Longview and him for giving me the opportunity to spend time with him and know him during the seven years we’ve spent together.”
Harris said if she could say one more thing to Williams it would be “job well done, DW.”
Matthew Prosser, Communications Director of Longview ISD, also worked closely with Williams in the district and considered him a great colleague and friend.
“If you only knew him as a school administrator, you only knew a small part of who he was. Dennis was a man of deep intelligence and a natural storyteller. My favorite times with Dennis involved trading stories of our small-town upbringing and talking football. But he was a peerless administrator and absolute master of finding efficient yet creative solutions to difficult problems,” Prosser said.
“Regardless of the situation, Dennis always maintained a calm and professional demeanor. As anyone who’s worked in public education can tell you, we’ve been dealing with some rather unprecedented circumstances in recent years. Working with him through various crises, his steady and patient temperament set the tone. He’d be the first one to tell you that he was “just an ol’ country boy,” but underneath that veneer was a quiet wisdom and an abiding well of compassion.”