Surrounded by his many friends and colleagues, Williams stated how happy he is to be starting his 35th year at Bowen.

鈥淚 never thought when I started working here at this day back in 1990 that I would make it this long,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hrough discipline, hard work, and dedication, I am still here and still growing.鈥�

Williams graduated from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in liberal arts in 1988. He joined Bowen as a library academic technician in 1990 and said he enjoys the chance to explore the many different legal cases housed in Bowen鈥檚 law library.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a vast collection of cases downstairs, and I keep myself pretty busy,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 never a dull moment at the law school and the law library in particular.鈥�

Melissa Serfass, an electronic resources librarian who has worked with Williams for 32 years, described him as a very hard worker.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a great colleague,鈥� Serfass said. 鈥淭he two people who were his immediate supervisors both sang his praises about the quality of his work and his dedication to the law school and the library. He almost never missed a day of work.鈥�

In the late 90s and early 2000s, Williams became quite famous around campus for being such a huge Trojans sports fan.

鈥淗e was never officially affiliated with any of the teams, but he was at every game,鈥� said Jessie Burchfield, associate dean for information and technology services and law library director. 鈥淗e would dance with the cheerleaders and do backflips across the gym floor during half-time.鈥�

Williams became known as 鈥渢he man in plaid鈥� around campus sporting events.

鈥淏ack in the 1990s, they had those famous plaid sports coats that I would wear to every game, and the name stuck all these years, like a badge of honor,鈥� Williams said.

Williams and his friends and co-workers were treated to a video of him from the early 2010s dancing in an excited crowd of students during a basketball game. To celebrate his love of the game, Little Rock Athletics gifted Williams with a special basketball signed by Coach Steve Wiedower and Coach Darrell Walker.

鈥淭his is quite an achievement,鈥� Bowen Dean Colin Crawford said. 鈥淲e are so pleased to be able to work with you. We all very much appreciate your good humor, your good company, your good work ethic, and your responsiveness.鈥�

Sarah Harbour, director of admissions at Bowen, started law school the same year that Williams started working at Bowen. She said that it was good to see a familiar face when she returned to work at Bowen last year, and that Williams is just the same as she remembers.

鈥淗e is very pleasant to work with, very reliable, very fun, and he鈥檚 got a good sense of humor,鈥� Harbour said.

In addition to his important work anniversary, Williams has plenty to celebrate this year. In July, Williams and his sister were able to move into an apartment in the Quapaw neighborhood that is within walking distance of both of their jobs. A few years ago, a fire burned down the Williams鈥� family home, and he is very grateful that they have a new place to call home.

鈥淢y sister and I both lived in an extended stay hotel for a year and at Our House Shelter for two years until we found this new apartment in July,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice and quiet at night and allows you to get plenty of rest. This experience encouraged me to get off my backside and move forward. There is no telling how far you can go.鈥�

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During the 11-day tour, the basketball players and coaching staff will visit Rome, Florence, Venice, and Lake Como. They will play three international exhibition games at Rome on Aug. 10, Venice on Aug. 14, and Lake Como on Aug. 16 before returning to Little Rock on Aug. 17.

“We are thrilled to be able to have this opportunity to take our team and staff over to Italy this year for a foreign trip,鈥� Head Coach Darrell Walker said. 鈥淲ith so many new faces, this will be great for our guys to be able to get more comfortable with each other’s games throughout the 10 extra practices that are allowed and the three games.鈥�

NCAA rules allow a team taking a foreign tour to hold 10 days of practices on campus before leaving for the tour. The Little Rock Trojans are welcoming 10 talented newcomers to this year鈥檚 squad, and the foreign tour will give them a chance to grow as a team.

鈥淭his tour provides top competition, and I’m excited to see how our guys respond playing against some older, more experienced players,鈥� Walker added. 鈥淚t’s also an opportunity for our guys and our staff to get to spend some quality time together off the court, and we’re just excited about who we’ve brought in and can’t wait for our fans to see it this year.”

In addition to the opportunity to play against international opponents, the basketball players will experience the culture and sites of Italy. In Rome, they will visit historic sites including the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St Peter鈥檚 Basilica, and the Roman Colosseum.

Additional tour stops will include a guided city tour of Florence, a guided bike tour of Bologna, a guided tour and gondola ride in Venice, a food tasting and cooking class in Verona, as well as a boat tour from Lake Como to Bellagio.

The trip will be a familiar experience for Assistant Men鈥檚 Basketball Coach Julius Hodge, who previously played in Italy with the Italian Serie A teams Cimberio Varese and Legea Scafati.

鈥淭he differences are vast,鈥� Hodge said. 鈥淚n Italy, you have to put the ball on the ground first before you move, but our guys will adjust quickly. The basketball is also smaller and a little bit firmer than basketballs in the U.S. Playing in a foreign country helps the team gain international experience. Every time I鈥檝e been on a trip like this, I鈥檝e seen the players bond in a way that wasn鈥檛 possible before.鈥�

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