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Prenis Williams

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When Prenis Williams arrived in Amarillo in 1998, it was only supposed to be for a short stay. His mother had passed away and he needed to settle her affairs. However, 12 years later, Prenis is happy to call Amarillo home and since then he has made a concerted effort to be involved in this community as much as possible.

“At one point I served on something like 12 to 14 boards, but that really lends itself to ineffectiveness,” says Prenis in the lobby of the Amarillo College student center. The 74-year-old retiree currently serves as the Vice President of the Board of Regents for AC. “Right now I’m on about 10 boards, but some of those will be ending soon. It’s my intent to cut back, to get it down to a manageable level.”

Before the community activist, or Professional Volunteer, as his wife, Linda, likes to call him, came to Amarillo, Prenis spent the bulk of his adult life serving the community in other ways. For nearly 20 years he was a football coach at various high schools between Odessa and Lubbock and worked alongside Darrell Royal at the University of Texas at Austin coaching Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell for four years. Then Prenis left coaching in 1977 to spend three years as a Parole Supervisor, counseling those who were ending parole and needed assistance re-entering society.

Then, in what became a pivotal career move, Prenis started a 12-year position as the Program Director for Parks and Recreation in Austin. His job included overseeing a multitude of departments, from the 60-pool aquatics division and the seniors program to all the metro parks and cultural arts.

“My passion to serve probably started while being the program director. All of those departments had boards and it was important to get involved with each of them,” he recalls. “It was necessary to know people, to know who they were and what they did.”

In 1982, Prenis went on to work 11 years with the Texas Education Agency before officially retiring, but that didn’t mean he stopped working. Unable to be idle, Prenis took a job at Golfsmith International answering telephones, working on the driving ranges and teaching golf lessons.

“When I retired I wanted to find work in something that I liked,” he says. “I would probably still be there if my mother had lived.”

Fast forward to 1998. Prenis was living in Austin with his sweetheart, Linda, three children between them, golfing and enjoying retirement. Then his mother passed away and he came to Amarillo to take care of her estate. He got involved with the Pride of the Panhandle Golf Club and then met with the Amarillo United Citizens Forum and the Black History Cultural Center. He attended his mother’s church and before he knew it, he was making ties to Amarillo.

“I had every notion of going back to Austin. Linda was still there and we had all our doctor’s appointments and everything there,” says Prenis. “Then we just decided to make Amarillo home.”

By 2002, Prenis became president of the AUCF, and as his involvement grew, he realized the need to be even more connected to his community. He twice ran for a spot on the City Commission, and though he lost both times, Prenis wasn’t deterred. His list of boards, committees, and councils rivals any other top philanthropist in town and it’s simply because he believes in the causes he’s a part of.

To date, Prenis has been involved with the Chamber of Commerce, the Prayer Breakfast Committee, the Children’s Learning Center of Amarillo, the Amarillo ISD District Advisory Committee, the Executive Committee for the Boy Scouts, the Five-Star Council for the Girl Scouts, the Amarillo College Foundation, the Opera Board and the KACTV Advisory Council, just to name a few.

“I’ve accomplished much of what I intended,” says Prenis. “I’m retired, but I’ve never stopped working. It’s true that if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

When I get in my car, the first thing I listen to is… “Gospel Legends.”

My friends and family call me… P.W.

My favorite meal to make from scratch is… breakfast.

In an alternate life, I would’ve been… a musician.

The most famous or interesting person I’ve ever met is… Darrell K. Royal

If I had an open plane ticket to anywhere, I would go to… Jerusalem.

After a long, hard day, I love to… take a long hot shower.

One of my favorite childhood toys was… my Silver King Bicycle.

One movie I could watch over and over again is… Tuskegee Airmen.

If I were a character in a book, I would be… Paul Robeson in “Showboat” or Coach Herman Boone from “Remember the Titans.”

The greatest piece of advice I’ve ever received is… “To do less than your best is degrading.”

When my children grow up, the one thing I want them to always remember is… to develop and maintain a good work ethic.

You may be surprised to know that I… like singing.

One habit I wish I could break is… procrastinating.

My guilty pleasure is… sometimes I listen to risqué comedians.

If I had the time, I would… travel.

My favorite bad-for-me-food is… ice cream.

When I get online, I always go to… the news.

The most unique place I’ve ever been to is… London, England.

by Jennie Treadway-Miller

Jennie was a columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for eight years prior to moving to Amarillo in 2008. She is an avid reader, runner and writer.

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