R. Alan Williams, son of R.E. and Mary Williams, was born March 19, 1918 in Iowa City, IA. He graduated from Iowa City High School in 1935, attended the University of Iowa and transferred to Iowa State University graduating in Dec. 1945. He was a member of the Iowa State Livestock and Dairy judging team which set a record of all team members placing in the top 2 in the American Royal Livestock Show. He was a member of Alpha Zeta, a National Honorary Fraternity and Frisbie House, a congregational student center. He married Florence Rohrbacher of Iowa City Nov. 8, 1942.
After graduation Alan worked with the Extension Service in Sigourney, IA. He joined the army in 1942 and served with the 78th Division Infantry in the European Theater. He rose to the ranks of Staff Sergeant and was awarded a Battlefield Commission in Germany. His infantry unit won Presidential Citations for the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle to capture the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen. His unit was the first infantry to cross the Rhine in the Ludendorff battle. He was awarded 2 Bronze Stars and earned 2 Purple Hearts.
After World War II, he served as Executive Secretary of the Iowa Swine Producers Association. He was then employed by Wilson Foods in Chicago. He worked in agricultural relations and transferred to the livestock buying division. Besides Chicago, he worked in Cedar Rapids, Cherokee and Omaha before moving to Des Moines in 1975 as plant manager. He retired in 1983 after 31 years with Wilson Foods. He was employed by Protein Blenders in Iowa City in the late 50s. He served as Superintendent of the Swine Show at the International Livestock Show in Chicago for 20 years. He judged all the major state fairs in the Midwest and around the Nation. Throughout his entire life, he was owner and manager of a cattle operation featuring registered Black Angus and Black Baldy cows.
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