As Margaret Williams' funeral takes place right this minute, and I am so far away in Detroit, I wanted to meditate on what this great woman meant to me and all of your who were blessed to know her. One of the greatest benefits of my career at MTS was meeting, getting to know and growing to love Margaret Williams. She had married the love of her life, our Board Chair Leon Williams, not long after I started with San Diego Transit. Turns out that we were both about the same age when we married for the second time. But this was only one of the things that Margaret and I learned we had in common. Early on in our acquaintance, Margaret would call me at the office to thank me for some promotion I had arranged, or compliment me on something I had written for the company. We would spend a wonderful afternoon each year at KUSI-TV recording a Happy Holidays message with her, Leon and their adorable granddaughters smiling beautifully at the camera. She got such a kick out of those promos and her enthusiasm was such fun. I remember taking an inaugural ride or two with Margaret and Leon on a newly opened Trolley line. She was so delighted by the experience and what it meant to the community and San Diego as a whole. All of our employees? excitement was expressed in her bright eyes and smiles those days. Margaret was very fond and close to San Diego Trolley president Langley Powell and his wife Ruby. She was heartbroken when he left San Diego for retirement and even more so when he died. It would take a very special lady to be the partner and equal to the universally esteemed, the Honorable Leon L. Williams?and Margaret was that lady. In fact, many of those closest to her called her Lady Margaret. And what a lady she was! Her professional background as a teacher and her chosen calling as a Mother, gave her the credentials, and more importantly the soul and spirit to teach others, to help others, to guide and inspire others. She did all of this for me. As our friendship grew stronger, I could always count on Margaret for good counsel, be it in parenting, relationships, or professionally. I remember walking towards a building in Ann Arbor, where I was about to interview for a new job at Michigan Public Broadcasting. She called and I told her where I was going and she assured me that they would be lucky to hire me and that the job was mine for the taking. I walked into that interview with such confidence, thanks to Margaret, and sure enough, I got the job. Whenever I returned to San Diego, a visit to the Williams? beautiful historic house on E Street had to be on my itinerary. We would sit in the parlor and catch up on all the news I knew of our MTS colleagues. She was so interested in the good welfare of all those she had gotten to know there. Margaret would show me the latest awards, certificates and accolades that Leon had received, and she was so very proud of every one of them. The autographed picture of President Obama hung on the wall, and I enjoyed hearing about her marvelous experience at his inauguration. A retirement poster made for Leon filled with signatures from all of us at MTS was displayed prominently in the front room. The coffee mug created for the MTS 25th anniversary and signed by Leon was also lovingly displayed in the kitchen. Each and every one of Leon?s civic accomplishments, large and small, was an enormous source of pride for Margaret, and I?m sure Leon would say, that he couldn?t have done it without her. I would be amazed at their social calendar, far more crowded and demanding than those half their age. Everyone wanted Leon and Margaret to be at their event. Their couple magic truly lit up every room they walked in. Not only their good looks, but their vibe was so good, so strong and and so appealing. You couldn?t help but love them. (continued on next page)
