William B. Brooks

William B. “Billy” Brooks Following a lengthy illness, Dr. William B. “Billy” Brooks passed away peacefully Friday, September 4th at the Carl Vinson Veterans Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia.He was 78. He was born November 26, 1931 in Titusville, Florida to John Edward Brooks and Ruth Huff Brooks. Following graduation from Rochelle High School in 1949, Billy attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia where he was a member of both the varsity basketball and baseball teams. He interrupted his education to serve in the U.S. Navy for three years as an aviation electronics technician.Following an honorable discharge, he returned to his education and, in 1958, he received a B.S. degree from Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, Georgia.He received three education degrees from his beloved University of Georgia in Athens: M.Ed in 1965; Ed. S. in 1975 and Ed D. in 1982.He embodied the spiritthat “it’s Great -- To Be --A Georgia Bulldog.” Considering the years he spent on his personal schooling and the years he spent teaching and coaching, Billy Brooks truly dedicated his life to education.In the 1969 Unadilla High School Yearbook, his Principal’s message reflected his attitude as he wrote:“Life is a venture with many gaps over which we have to build bridges.One of these bridges is that of educating ourselves.” His career in education began in 1956 as a teacher and coach at Wilcox County High school.He held similar teaching and coaching positions in Dooly County.“Coach” Brooks was known for his enthusiasm during the various boys and girls basketball games he coached over the years.During one season, in an effort to harness some of his spirit, an automobile seat belt was installed on his coaching chair. He became Assistant Principal at Wilcox County High School in 1966.The following year, he returned to Dooly County where he served as Principal of Unadilla High School, a position he held for three years.In 1970, he returned to the Wilcox County Schools and for two years served in various teaching, coaching and administrative capacities prior to being elected Wilcox County School Superintendent in 1972, a position he held for 12 years.His love of – and participationin – education continued in retirement.He became Supervisor of Student Teachers at Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia in 1986 and later served as the Educational Supervisor for the Wilcox County Correctional Institute in Abbeville, Georgia.Even as a prisoner, Dr. Brooks felt you deserved an education.In dedicating the yearbook to their Principal, the Abbeville High School Class of 1962 wrote: “for his interest in scholarship, good sportsmanship and wholesome recreation.” As a professional educator, Dr. Brooks was a member of the Georgia Association of School Superintendents, the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders, the National Education Association, the Georgia Association of Educators and the Georgia Council for Administrators of Special Education. He also served on the Board of Directors Heart of Georgia CESA, the Wilcox County Health Board, the Heart of Georgia Mental Health Board and the Wilcox County Training Center Advisory Committee. In 1968, he was named Unadilla’s “Man of the Year,”In both Rochelle and Unadilla, his civic participation included membership in both the Lions Club and the Jaycees.In 1971 he was named the Lion of the Year by the Rochelle Lions Club.The United Daughters of the Confederacy honored him with the Korean Cross of Military Service. A member of the Rochelle First Baptist Church, he served as Chairman of the Board of Deacons in 1973-1974. Dr. Brooks is survived by his wife, Delores Brooks and his children:Bland and Anne Brooks of Rochelle; Jan and Bill Buckley of Abbeville and Ward and Carla Brooks of Rochelle.A third son, John Brooks preceded his father in death. He is also survived by one granddaughter, Lacey Brooks McWhorter of Lawrenceville; six grandsons, Jake Brooks of Rochelle, Stuart Buckley of Atlanta, Joshua Buckley of Macon, Jonathan Buckley of Atlanta, Carson Brooks of Rochelle and Joseph Brooks of Rochelle and a great-grandson, J.B. McWhorter of Lawrenceville. The family will receive friends at Frazier and Son Funeral Home Sunday, September 6, 2009 from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.A graveside service will be held Monday, September 7, 2009 at 10:00 am at the Morningside Cemetery in Rochelle.The six grandsons will serve as pallbearers. To honor Dr. Brooks’s love of education, the family is establishing the William B. Brooks Memorial Scholarship.Donations to the scholarship can be made at the Wilcox County State Bank located in Rochelle or Abbeville. Beginning in 2010, the scholarship will be awarded annually to a college-bound senior at Wilcox County High School. While the scholarship will be available to any deserving senior, special consideration will be given to those who intend to follow Dr. Brooks’s passion for education…and become a teacher.