William John Alford

Bill Alford was born on October 12, 1947 to R.V. and Louise Alford in Houston, Texas. Although he resided in multiple countries spanning the globe and traversed the entirety of the United States in his adventurous life, Houston always called him home.

After graduating from Waltrip High School in 1968, Bill enlisted in the US Army. He served overseas in South Vietnam and worked in radio communications doing his part to keep our boys safe. After serving in Vietnam, he tried his hand at civilian life working at Cargill’s Printing & Stationery Company, but found that he missed the camaraderie and thrill of the opportunity to see the world so he proudly re-enlisted in the Army. As no surprise to anyone who has ever met Bill, he excelled in Army communications—his natural born gift of gab paired perfectly with the newest comms technology.

Bill was stationed in Asmara, Ethiopia from 1971-1973. Carrying the 55-lbs Kleinschmidt teleprinter equipment for transmitting critical, secure mobile communications in the hot desert locale was nothing for this Houstonian in his beefcake years. The muscles he acquired led to many cousin/sibling arm-wrestling competitions when Bill was home on leave!

After Ethiopia, he spent time in both Fort Hood, TX and Fort Gordon, GA acquiring programming training in the AUTODIN (Automatic Digital Network), which was the Department of Defense's first major computerized message switching system. In 1974, he was sent to Oakland Army Base in California to participate in another DOD startup electronic multi-media exchange center system, where he became an expert and trained others.

In 1977, he moved to Livorno, Italy, which served as a critical hub for both the AUTODIN and AUTOVON systems. The Livorno center was instrumental in supporting worldwide tactical missions with upgraded satellite communications. Bill became proficient in not only the Italian culture, cuisine and language, but also the antics of the Mediterranean Riviera. “When in Rome”… he learned to wear a speedo on the beach, much to the shock of his visiting (blushing) mother and (very amused) grown niece.

In 1980, Bill was promoted to supervise mini-automatic switching centers (ASCs) in Seoul and then Taegu, South Korea. These upgraded digital relay centers played a crucial role in maintaining secure communications during a period of high political tension in the Korean peninsula. From 1980 to 1983, Bill discovered a love of Korean culture, cuisine (particularly bulgogi and shoju) and a beautiful “gomusin” girlfriend that won his heart and would have been his bride had life not scattered them with deployments and circumstances.

From 1983-1986, Bill was sent to Pirmasens, West Germany, which was the primary AUTODIN node in Europe. While he enjoyed Oktoberfest and the local Gasthof as much as the next soldier, he took immense pride in his work for the ASCs, which underwent significant modernization to support Cold War readiness during heightened tensions, such as the 1983 "war scare.”

In 1986, Bill moved to Fort Huachuca, AZ. Although he did not share what his secret/confidential security-critical missions were for this assignment, he always stayed up to date on communications technology and quickly mastered the first CRT-based, dedicated word processor system (Wang). Knowing his ribald sense of humor, there were no doubt some wang jokes thrown in with the experience.

Bill spent time in Saudi Arabia at the Dhahran Airfield from 1987-1988. Following the start of the Iran-Iraq War, Bill supported the operation of USAF TPS-43 "gap filler" radars placed near Dhahran to provide early warning, with communications systems vital for connecting these radars to the air defense network.

He returned to Fort Huachuca, AZ to finish his decorated military career and retired in 1989. After retiring, Bill decided that he wanted to drive and see every single state in the US. Armed with his shoulder-mounted camcorder and his own humorous monologue as commentary, he filmed while driving through them all in his trusty station wagon. He filled hours of VHS tapes cracking jokes with the boundless energy of a new military retiree and made his way back to Houston. He’d stop in and check on elderly relatives in Colorado and Oklahoma, with a special fondness and admiration for a legally blind aunt.

Bill was a dedicated son to his “Mama”, and he dutifully helped her during both her active years as the family matriarch hosting gatherings and in her declining years. With his assistance, she lived to be a thriving nonagenarian. His twin flame was his younger brother, David, who lived a few miles down the road. They loved to go to Louisiana for alligator-hunting with the professional hunters and also to Sweetwater, Texas, for the largest rattlesnake roundup in the world.

His hobbies included bowling, metal detecting (both solo and with his older sister, Kathryn), and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys as an unapologetically die-hard fan of the hometown’s rival team. Maybe it was the cheerleaders or maybe it was the chance to smack-talk with the rest of the family, but he reveled in tormenting the rest of his Houston Texans-loving family when the Cowboys were having a better season. Some still have the voicemails as proof. When not cheering the Cowboys, he was a lifelong member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, an active Mason, and a dedicated Shriner. He was also the undisputed master baker of one perfect product: his tried-and-true oatmeal cookie. Nobody could eat just one, including him.

Bill Alford was predeceased by his parents; his older sister, Marilyn Alford L’Hoste of Metairie, Louisiana; his younger brother, David Alford; and his brother-in-law, Ted Batek. He is survived by his older sister, Kathryn Alford Batek; his younger sister, Debbie Alford Grogg and brother-in-law, David Earl Grogg; and sister-in-law and widow of David, Karen Gray Alford; as well as many nieces, nephews, and grandnieces/nephews (and even 7 great-grandnieces/nephews): Sharon L’Hoste; Stephen and Janet L’Hoste (children Michael, Jessica, and Amy); Scott and Beth L’Hoste (children Luke and Abby); Martha Batek Boswell and husband Ken (children Micah and Mason); Nancy Batek Hyde and husband Bryan (children Kylie and Kennedy); Carolyn Batek Beddow and husband Kevin (child Harper); Brian Grogg and girlfriend Jeanette (child Jonah); Paul Grogg; Danny Alford and wife Jeni; Emily Alford Shaw and husband Matt (children Madison and Guy); and Christie Alford Fisher and husband Stephen (children Rachel and Sadie).

The family wishes to thank his caregivers Wanda Simmons and Lata Bhatia who took such good care of him and ensured that his every need was met.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at Heights Funeral Home on Friday, March 13th at 1317 Heights Blvd., Houston, TX, with Rev. Jim Gill officiating. Visitation: 9:30 – 10:30 AM; the Service: 10:30-11:30 AM; and Internment: 1 PM at Rosewood Memorial Park Cemetery in Humble, TX (2602 S. Houston Avenue).

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any donations be given to the VFW Post 8790 at 1560 Foley Street, Houston, TX, 77055, or Reagan Masonic Lodge, 1600 Heights Blvd., Houston, TX, 77008.