William Watkins Jr.

William "Bill" Watkins Jr. was born on August 12, 1932 in Jersey City, New Jersey to the late William James and Willie Ree (Blount) Watkins. He grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, graduated from Pace College with honors and received his MBA degree from New York University. On October 16, 1955 he married his college sweetheart, Sylvia Mulzac, in New York City. He served in the United States Army as an Auditor in Japan before beginning his career at Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. in 1957. At Con Ed he was a pioneer in the use of computer technology in business. He later became Systems Manager of Volkswagen of America, where he led the design of systems to support automotive logistics between Germany and the United States.

In the 1960’s he was also a leader in the Civil Rights Movement with the Urban League of Bergen County, New Jersey. One of the most cherished family possessions is a picture of him on the dais of the March on Washington with the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the delivery of the “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1972 he and his family moved to Franklin, Massachusetts when he joined New England Electric System where he held a number of posts before retiring as Executive Vice President of the Rhode Island subsidiary. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Rhode Island School of Design and as a member of the Board of Directors of Bank of Boston, RI. He also served on the advisory board of Banneker Industries, a National Supply Chain Management Company led by his daughter, the late Cheryl Snead.

In 1988, he and his wife, Sylvia, a Wellesley College Administrator, built a vacation home in Middletown, Rhode Island. They loved the wide range of offerings in the Newport area from the Jazz Festival to swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and sailing along its shores. They also enjoyed travelling, with a particular fondness for Bermuda. He walked daily and thoroughly enjoyed golf and bridge. They retired to Florida in 1998 where he served as President of the Sarasota Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Under his leadership, the branch produced the film “Veterans of Color” in conjunction with the Ringling College of Art and Design, which received national acclaim.

Throughout his life he consistently lifted others as he climbed. He mentored minority youth in Harlem with the Guide Right Program of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and later served on both the New England and National Boards of INROADS which mentors and places talented minority youth. In retirement he served as President of Gamma Xi Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and on the Board of Trustees of it’s Foundation. The Boulé mentors and provides growth opportunities for young people in the Sarasota area.

He will be sadly missed by his wife, Katherine Watkins, his daughters, Rene Payne and the Rev. Linda Watkins, his grandchildren, Marcus, Alana and Tanya Payne, his sons-in-laws, Stephen Payne and Roland Snead, his sister, Joyce Giddens, his brothers-in-law, Harry Lyons and Robert Giddens, his step-sons, Stephen and John Lowe and their families, several cousins, nieces and nephews, their spouses and children and his many friends. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Sylvia Watkins, daughter, Cheryl Snead, and sisters, Louise Johns and Catherine Lyons.

Services will be held at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota on Saturday, October 5 at 11:30 a.m. Additional services will be held at St. Columba’s Chapel, Middletown, Rhode Island in the spring. Interment will take place in Newport Memorial Park in Middletown, Rhode Island. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gamma Xi Boulé Foundation, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, PO Box 20117, Bradenton, FL 34204.