Bartholomew Paul Williams

September 10th, 1974-

December 8th, 2012

Bart was baptized on

May 15th, 1977

Of all the places he lived, Oregon,

Missouri, Virginia, North Carolina,

California was his favorite.

Bart was a son….

There were those who took

care of him as their own.

Bart was a brother…

Bart was a grandson…

Bart was a nephew…

Bart was an uncle…

Bart was a cousin…

Bart was a friend…

And all of us loved him.

His school pictures showed off his

“preppy” style and wonderful smile.

Bart liked to learn...

He worked hard in community college to transfer to

the University of Virginia

He looked

forward to

being all

that he

could be

there.

He was a proud member of his fraternity.

Eta Sigma Chapter

Bart was very athletic.

He loved soccer.

He was active in scouts as a young boy.

Bart was an avid swimmer and

swim instructor.

Christmas was his favorite holiday.

He treasured the houses he grew up in and

the memories they held.

El Cajon, California

Portland, OregonCheltenham Rd.

Kansas City, Missouri Brush Creek Blvd.

San Francisco was his favorite city.

He hoped to return there after completing his second master’s

degree.

He loved his family.

You have joined the ancestors.

We miss you, but take heart in that

you are no longer suffering.

I remember Bart’s smile and laugh so vividly. He was unlike anyone else,

especially at Lincoln HS…I’m very sad to hear that he won’t be out proving

himself right anymore. He is missed…even by those of us who lost touch.

Brooke H.

I was good friends with Bart in high school. We wrote to each other

when he moved away from Oregon. He was a very kind, funny and

smart. We lost contact after when he went off to college and always

wondered how he was doing. I am very shocked at this news. I am so

sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Veronica

I remember Bart from UVa. I was a class

or two ahead of him. Good dude. Please

know that Bart wasn’t the only one who

dealt with this condition.

David C.

Bart and I went to high school together. We didn’t hang out with the same

group of friends; I was shy and really disliked high school, and wasn’t

very social. Despite not really knowing each other, your brother often

joked around with me in the halls before class, and was always ready

with an enthusiastic hello. Maybe he realized I could use a little help

lightening up, or laughing a bit? And he always made me laugh. He was

so bright, enthusiastic and outgoing.

It is with such sorrow that I learn here that his promising life, despite it’s

struggles, was cut short. How senseless, how stupid, and how wrong to

have lost Bart in this way. I sincerely hope you and your family find the

answers you deserve.

Grace P.

I heard this news last night and my heart just sunk. Bart was a

great childhood friend growing up going to school at Robert

Grey and Lincoln High in Portland. Upon hearing the news I

was flooded with memories of the fun we used to have as if

they had just happened.

Kevin C.

Bart was a great guy and good friend during the brief few

years i knew him. We met on the freshman soccer team and

became friends. We spent many hours out on the tennis courts

together! I could always tell he would quickly surpass my

skills through his fiery competitiveness and determination.

We watched Eddie Murphy’s SNL VHS over and over. We

attended the Bell Biv Devoe concert at the Memorial

Coliseum! BBD!

I’ll always remember the great times spent with Bart! It was a

sad day when your family moved from Portland. Tough to

stay in touch in the olden days of snail mail but Bart left a

mark on everyone he knew here in Portland and will be

missed. Love to your entire family.

Mike C.

I went to Lincoln Portland with Bart, and we would still write letters to each other when he moved to KC and to UVA. This was before emailing

and we sent High School in handwritten letters and small gifts to each other.

And then I never heard from him again. For 18 years I wondered about my

friend and wasn’t able to find a contact for him. And now I know what

happened 18 years ago.

This summer I spent hours searching for him on-line so I could ask him to

attend our 20th high school reunion. I never found a way to get in touch with

him and I was always surprised that his name didn’t pop up as I knew him as

ambitious and out-going and thought for sure he was successful. I wondered

if he had passed away. I missed him for all these years and now I regret not

trying harder to find you or your other sister or parents. We scanned in his

senior picture, that he had sent me as he didn’t graduate with us, into our

video montage that played during the reunion. People asked where he was,

but no one knew.

Bart, you are loved and missed by your old school friends. We will never

forget you, friend.

Alexa S. J.

Bart & I had a rather lengthy virtual connection, i.e. telephone & email,

before we actually met in person. And I can remember that first meeting very

clearly because when I saw him I was immediately struck by how much he

looked like you, Barbara! Of course when I pointed this out he looked

heavenward and said something like ‘I hear that all the time”. Prior to our

face-to-face meeting Bart and I had talked quite a bit about preservation, but I

think he became even more enthusiastic about working with us when he saw

our lab – complete with huge pieces of equipment, smaller hand tools, and

even needles and thread – and we agreed on a start date.

One of the first things I learned about Bart was his respect for time. From day

one, he was punctual except for a couple times when ‘his driver’ (who shall

remain nameless!) was running late. But when that happened, he always

insisted on taking a shorter lunch, or working a few minutes longer in order

to make up the time. Such was his level of commitment, even as an unpaid

volunteer! I didn’t learn about this until after the fact, but apparently when

Bart came to meet with me he caused quite a stir on the floor! And a few days

after he started to work with us, and I had a whole set of ladies on the floor

asking who was this ‘gorgeous’ young man – I understood why! I don’t ever

remember having so many people, ah women, dreaming up reasons to pass

by the preservation department! But the funniest thing was that Bart was

totally oblivious to all of this bustling! He was in the zone; focusing on the

job at hand! Because, as I came to understand, that’s who he was. He had a

job to do, and that’s what he focused on. Cont’d

One of the first preservation techniques Bart was trained in was sewing pamphlets into hard

cover binders, so his capacity to fully concentrate was a great asset and resulted in more well-executed

work and probably fewer needle pricks too.

Much of our work in the preservation department is pretty repetitive, and this really seemed to bring out

Bart’s competitive nature! He probably asked everyone in the department how many pamphlets one

should be able to complete in a certain time frame. While I didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm, I did

have a couple of conversations with him about this, and encouraged him to think about quality vs

quantity. I think I was able to convince him that in this context his only competition is himself.

Bart volunteered with me for only one summer, but his contribution was enormous. Not only did his

work

help to advance the Preservation Department’s mission but, more importantly, it assisted in ensuring that

UCR Libraries’ circulating materials are available, in useable condition for current and future scholars

and researchers. Bart was an enthusiastic ‘student’, a devoted librarian and, above all – a polite and

courteous gentleman. Although he is no longer with us, I know that heaven has added another librarian.

Patricia Smith-Hunt, Ph.D.

Head, Preservation Services Department

University Libraries

University of California, Riverside

Please know that people who REALLY knew him have nothing but

kind thoughts about him.

We are MORE than a diagnosis or a newspaper article. I loved your

brother for my first 2 years of college, and send you my sincere

thoughts and prayers.

Erica S.

A prayer for Bart:

May the long time sun

Shine upon you,

All love surround you,

And the pure light within you

Guide your way on.

-Irish farewell blessing

Bart’s favorite photo of himself

bpw