Mom Can’t Remember the Tournament. I Do. From Grief to Purpose: Bringing Back the Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Golf Classic
By Silver Fox Twin Roy Williams-Birmingham, AL
I’m finding out that organizing a golf tournament is a lot harder than playing in one.
Over the past week since hosting 9/11 tribute to my brother, I’ve spent much of my time bringing back the Major Dwayne Williams Memorial Golf Classic — the tournament my mother, Pearl Williams, organized for more than a decade to raise money for the scholarship she established in Dwayne’s memory at Jacksonville State University after he died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
And now, with less than two months to go, the real work begins.
We Need Golfers, Sponsors & Volunteers
The tournament is set for Monday, November 9, at Silos Golf Club in Trussville, with a 10 a.m. shotgun start.
We already have our first sponsor, Coca-Cola Bottling United, and I’m getting encouraging interest from golfers and other potential sponsors.
But we need more.
If you’d like to play, sponsor a hole, become a tournament sponsor or volunteer, I’d love to hear from you.
📞 Roy Williams: (205) 572-1359
A Personal Challenge
Alzheimer’s has taken away Mom’s memories of Dwayne and the tournament she organized for more than a decade in his honor.
That makes bringing it back emotional. I’m now carrying forward something she built to keep Dwayne’s name alive and help future Jacksonville State students.
Now it’s my turn.
A Lot of People Are Stepping Up
The most rewarding part has been watching people help make this happen.
My wife, Patrice, has patiently supported me through countless hours of work during the week of our 35th wedding anniversary.
Dwayne’s former UNA football teammates, Chris Yeager and Lonzie McCants, have agreed to help me build the nonprofit organization that will continue his legacy.
Then there’s Silos Golf Club in Trussville. I walked in unannounced, shared what I was trying to do and was welcomed with open arms. They immediately saw the vision and opened their course to us.
Coca-Cola Bottling United became our first sponsor.
And then came another connection I still can’t quite explain.
A Tennessee man named Scott Moore, whom I had never met, recently reached out after Googling Dwayne’s name.
Twenty-five years ago, during a church service following 9/11, Scott had been given the names of three victims to pray for.
Dwayne was one of them.
Twenty-five years later, Scott searched for Dwayne again — and that search led him to me.
Now he’s offering to help with the tournament. We still haven’t met in person.
But when someone who prayed for your brother 25 years ago suddenly finds you and wants to help carry his legacy forward, I believe you have to recognize God’s hand in that.
This Is Bigger Than Golf
The tournament will help continue Dwayne’s scholarship legacy at Jacksonville State University and the University of North Alabama.
But I’m also establishing a nonprofit with a broader vision for helping the next generation.
I want that eventually to include scholarships for students in Birmingham City Schools, where my children attended, as well as Trussville High School — a community that has embraced me and supported my efforts to keep Dwayne’s legacy alive that led to Dwayne’s bronze bust being dedicated at the Alabama Fallen Warriors Monument earlier this year.
Dwayne’s golf tournament is one way to turn remembrance into action. The nonprofit will give me an opportunity to take that mission even further.
From Grief to Purpose
Dwayne’s life ended on September 11, 2001.
But his legacy doesn’t have to end there.
Mom started this tournament.
Now I’m carrying it forward.
And while I’m finding out that organizing a golf tournament is hard, I’m also finding out that the work becomes easier when you know why you’re doing it.
Remember. Honor. Serve. Carry the Legacy Forward
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