Bill and I started running around together during our junior year at L.D. Bell. We were buddies throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. Along with many others, I guess we were sort of like pseudo-hippies. We seemed to party all the time as we and many of our high school friends started the Central Park fad. I believe Glenn was part of our groupie at the time. We snuck into the Hendrix and Three Dog Night concerts at Will Rogers Coliseum as well as the Cellar back in ’70 and ‘71.

Fast forward for a moment: when I needed an engagement/wedding band set for my wife in the late 1980s, I knew Bill was the one to go to. As a side hustle, he bought and sold jewelry, coins, gold/silver items as well as other valuable collectibles, and . . . Rolex watches.

On many occasions when I went over to his apartment he would show me his collection. He was always enthusiastic about his work. From what I was able to pick up on the internet later on, he became recognized as a renowned expert in vintage Rolex watches, how to value them, buy them, take them apart, fix them and sell them for extremely good profits. He was very keen on how the mechanism worked, and how to refurbish a dead Rolex back to new.

Several times I watched him dissemble and describe the inner workings of these watches in great detail. He was frequently traveling to different states to buy and then sell. He would take photos of his items and post adds in the respective trade publications. I believe he also frequently bought and sold out at Canton east of Dallas many times where my aunt and uncle also happened to run their antique shops during the same period.

During the late 70s and early 80s as I was completing my undergrad work at UTA, I would go over to his apartment (off of 157 near Airport Frwy in Euless). We would jam a while, I would harmonize with some of his songs and then we would go down the road to the Captain’s Den (bar) to drink beer and chase girls.

Photography? He told me several times he was interested in accounting and was pursuing an accounting degree in his spare time. This was intended to help him in his business. Don’t believe he ever completed that endeavor, he was too busy. Maybe his goals changed later on. As far as I know, he always lived in an apartment. I frequently asked him if he was ever going to buy a house. I always wondered how he was able to play his amplified guitar so often in an apartment complex without complaints from the neighbors. They must have liked his music!

He also told me about an incident at the former TI Lewisville plant where they made him lift some very heavy missile components and it hurt his back. He mentioned a possible lawsuit he was pursuing but I don’t remember what ever happened with that issue.

During one visit to his apartment, I caught a glance of his little boy through his kitchen window by the pool. I believe he said the marriage didn’t last very long and they were there visiting. He preferred the apartment life as a single person. His friend Tim lived with him for several years then Bill made him leave since he was not paying his share of the rent. In addition, I visited him several times at his new apartment in the 1990s off of 360 in Grand Prairie or East Arlington.

In the mid 1980s sometime after I got my degree and was working at my first job at LTV, I moved out of my parents’ house (at 31 years old!) and Bill helped me move into my new rent house in SW Arlington.  We still kept in contact periodically but my career in the DFW area started floundering throughout the early 2000s so my wife and I moved to Huntsville Alabama in 2007.  She passed away last May and now I am stuck out here all alone in the middle of nowhere with no way to get back to my hometown of DFW.  Seems like everybody is gone now.

Over the years out here I would frequently look up Bill’s phone number on the internet and we would talk about how each other’s life was going. His number was easy to find and recognize.  More recently, it had been a while since our last communication, so I went to the internet and found his obituary a week ago. Shocked and saddened, I wrote this essay even though it is almost two years since his passing.  Hope it fits in okay within the obituary format.  Bill and I were so close for so many years that I had to write something.

In all the time I have been gone, I also hope Bill has made his peace with Christ Jesus as his Lord and Savior. I wish I had more time to discuss this with him and I hope to see him in Heaven.

Randy Lee

Bill was my best friend in high school. We had many adventures together, some which shall remain unelaborated. When we first met in the summer of 1970, we were both budding guitarists and singers. I remember in particular learning from Bill how to play the standard rock-and-roll rhythm on two strings. We remained friends and collaborators until we married our wives, and then our friendship took a back seat to domestic life.

I could tell a hundred stories about the things we did in high school: the parties, the girls, the lake, the clubs, the concerts. Bluffing our way into The Cellar to see Johnny Nitzinger. Getting into a car accident on the way back from the Electric Circus. Seeing The Who and Rory Gallagher in Dallas.

All the things we did remind me of the friendship we shared. Bill was always someone I could confide in and trust. He was kind, generous, loyal and easygoing. He had an offbeat sense of humor. We hung out together almost every day through high school, even though I went to Richland and he went to L.D. Bell.

In all the years since we lost touch, I've remembered Bill with gratitude for the time we shared.

Bill and I were staying with Granny and Grandpa Spivey during this time period. They lived in a 30 ft. travel trailer that had 2 separate areas with queen sized beds. 

Even though it was small we never felt cramped.

During the heat of the day Granny always made us come in and not play outside. West Texas would get extremely hot.

After Granpa came home from work and we had sat at the table and finished our dinner we could go back outside to play.

There was a large field next to the trailer park on the edge of town that Bill and I would play in. Usually cowboys and Indians.

On this particular day I remember Granny screaming our names and motioning for us to come back.

When we noticed her she pointed to downtown Big Springs, which we could clearly see because the land in that area was so flat.

To our amazement and fear we witnessed 3 huge tornados 🌪 , all of which were side by side, tearing up downtown Big Springs. 

We ran back to the trailer and they ushered us to a storm cellar that was on the property. As we were going in we looked up wide eyed and saw another tornado coming toward us from the Big Spring area. Fortunately it went back up into the clouds causing no harm where Bill and I were located with Granny and Grandpa Spivey ❤ 

We were visiting Granny and Grandpa Gary for about a week in the Texas heated summer.

Bill had discovered a very very old graveyard about a mile up the road from Granny and Grandpa Gary's house. He asked if I wanted to see. Well, of course I did. We climbed under a barbed wire fence and walked about a quarter of a mile inward.

I was amazed at what he had discovered. 

During the 1700's a wagon train of settlers were traveling thru that area when it was attacked by Indians.

What was amazing is that both settlers and Indians were buried there. Information and date was carved on stones where each one was buried. Sadly there were also a few babies buried there.

Bill and I were always hunting for arrowheads. We had found several during that time period as we were scouring the area.  

It was fun.

I remember when we stayed with Granny and Grandpa Gary for a few months that Grandpa took us on a horseback ride over some of his property. We were following Grandpa and went to cross a dry creek bed with very steep sides on it. Our horse, Pinto, decided to stop half way up the other side and not move. I was riding behind Bill.  I remember telling Bill to go, go. He stated that Pinto wouldn't move. I couldn't hold on to Bill, the revine was to steep and than just slid off the back. My behind landed right on top of a bunch of 🌵 cactus. Bill was too small to get down by himself. We just had to wait for Grandpa to return. It wasn't a very long time until we saw him at the top of the revine.