Bruce Williams Legacy Endowment

Annie Belle and Archie Williams

Bruce Williams was born to Annie Belle and Archie Williams in Stockton, Georgia on January 19th, 1932. The son youngest of 11 children, his first job was on a tobacco farm making $1 per day. At the age of 17 Bruce went to Lakeland, Georgia for his first job at a bank.

While this new job was in Lakeland, Bruce was still living in Stockton. With a daily commute of 10 miles to work, he, at first, caught rides but soon was given a bicycle and worked his way up to a bank teller position by 1949 at the Farmer's Merchant Bank.

After almost 15 years working as a teller in Lakeland, Bruce decided to take a job as teller at the 1st State Bank in Valdosta, Georgia in 1963. It was here that he worked his way up to a Vice President position and later retired as Chairman of the Board in 2002. He was 70 years old and had served in the banking industry for over 50 years.