FRANKLIN UDOLPH “RUDY” WILLIAMS passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 3, 2010 at his home among his loved ones at the age of 83 after a battle with major health issues over the past 6 years. He was born in Healdton, Oklahoma on February 16, 1927, to the parents of Roe and Etta Williams, who have predeceased him. Shortly after he was born, his parents moved to Kilgore, Texas to work in the oil boom. He graduated from Kilgore High School in 1944. After his graduation, he married Frances Vanmeter, the mother of his sons Michael U. Williams and Monty Roe Williams. He served 9 years in the U.S. Navy and received an Honorable Discharge on February 21, 1957. He attended the University of Texas in Austin where he graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1960 and an MS in Electrical Engineering in 1961 with academic honors: Tau Beta Pi and Etta Kappa Nu. In 1960, after graduating with his BS from University of Texas he began his professional career as a research engineer with Balcones Research Laboratory in Austin. In 1961, he went to work for Honeywell in California as a Sr. Development Engineer. In 1963, he embarked upon an exciting career at the NASA-Johnson Space Center. Rudy loved engineering and the challenges of problem solving. He had the good fortune to be directly involved in the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Shuttle, and International Space Station Programs for over 40 years. His experience encompassed technical management of contracts, development, design, manufacturing, operations, and test activities for the United States aerospace effort. After his retirement from NASA-JSC in 1979, he continued his involvement in aerospace engineering as an independent contractor associated with Eagle Engineering, Inc., later known as Muniz Engineering, Inc. Rudy was recognized internationally as an expert in the fields of Test Engineering, Thermal Engineering, Vacuum Technology, Space Simulation and Systems Engineering and Integration. A major stroke aborted his engineering career at the age of 77.
His family and his work were the two most important things to him and - in that order. He was unselfish and generous with the needs of his family. He also had another love and that was music. He loved to sing and play the guitar – sometimes composing the songs himself. In his spare time, Rudy was a volunteer and trainer for the Bay Area Crisis Hotline for over 5 years where he received an award in 1981 for the “Longest Phone Call”, (8 hours) and prevented a suicide in the process. He was a member of TEXAS EXES, the NASA Alumini League (NAL), National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE), and was President of the Spaceland Toastmasters International Club for a year. Rudy was also an avid chess player and played with his “Monday Night Group”, hosted by Chuck Verostko, until the last few weeks of his life.
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