William Ramsey O'Connell

William Ramsey O'Connell was born in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1944 and died in Austin on September 26, 2014 at the age of 69. "O'C" was a skinny man with a beautiful voice and a big personality; an important figure in Austin broadcasting and advertising for over four decades. He was originally a newsman, but later would become an innovative producer of radio sports programming for national and international events.

The son of a career military family, Bill traveled the world, living in Texas, California, Kansas, Washington, DC, Germany, and Italy. He graduated from The University of Texas in 1968 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, majoring in statistics. Following a tour of active duty in the US Army, he then served in the Texas Army National Guard and the Texas State Guard.

After working at KUT-FM during college, Bill went on to work as News Director at KOKE-AM and Sales Manager and Station Manager at KNOW-AM. In 1977, Bill opened his own business, Market Research of Austin, subsequently The O'Connell Company, based on East 6th St. He was a graduate of the inaugural year of Leadership Austin (BCE 1980) and served on the Historic Landmark Commission (1980-1984).

O'C became very involved in radio sports broadcasting, serving as producer for the Longhorn Sports Network, the Southwest Conference Radio Network, Host Communications, and the NCAA CBS Radio Network. For many years, beginning in the mid-1980s, Bill served as the on-site producer for national radio coverage of the Men's Basketball Final Four and Executive Producer of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. He also produced countless broadcasts for NFL Monday Night Football, Major League Baseball, NFL Europe, and especially enjoyed the opportunity to work as a broadcast producer at the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan and Lillehammer, Norway. A true sports fan, Bill continued to work as a radio producer for one season with the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League. Throughout his career, his voice could be heard in many political campaigns, commercial voiceovers and narrations for a wide variety of clients.

Bill was a loyal UT alum, a long-time baseball season ticket holder, and a fan of UT football and women's basketball and volleyball.

O'C was a legendary figure to those fortunate enough to work with him. He enjoyed traveling to Ireland, Germany, Italy, Canada, Argentina, and Chile. More recently, Bill served as the Quality Manager of Global Accounts for Harte-Hanks in Austin, working for such clients as Microsoft and the MLB Network. Additionally, O'C was a long-time participant in amateur and ham radio activities; his call sign was W5YO. He retired in the summer of 2013.

O'C was preceded in death by his parents, Colonel William H. and Isabel Ramsey O'Connell, his stepson Timothy Hair, and his son, William Sean O'Connell. He is survived by his sister Mary Ann O'Connell Martin, her husband Captain Richard L. Martin, USN, their children Michele and Dan Martin, Dan's wife Kyla, and their children Lucas, Ethan, and Trey; niece Tere O'Connell and her son Ben Kinsey; his former wife Barbara Bassford O'Connell, stepchildren Janet Brown and Keith Hair, and countless friends around the world.

A memorial service honoring Bill and his family will be held at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, 3125 North Lamar Blvd., Austin, Texas at 3 PM on October 14, with an informal reception beginning at 2 PM. Memorial donations reflecting Bill's lifelong love of radio and The University of Texas will be welcomed at KUT-FM, PO Box 7600, Austin, Texas 78713.