Keith Williams, a Henderson native who went on to share in two Pulitzer Prizes while a photojournalist for The Courier-Journal newspaper in Louisville, has died, according to a social media post by a former colleague.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I share that long-time Courier Journal photojournalist Keith Williams has passed away,” Michael Clevenger, senior visuals editor for the Louisville newspaper, posted Thursday morning on a private Facebook page devoted to Courier-Journal photography.
“Keith’s legacy was not only in the images he shared with readers but in his ever-present grace, kindness and humility,” Clevenger continued. “We will share arrangements when we know more.”
Williams was about 75. An obituary was not immediately available.
Bobbie Jarrett of Henderson, whose family has long been close with Williams’ family, said she was notified Thursday by his sister of his passing.
According to Gleaner lore, Williams was a 17-year-old high school student taking photos at an event at the old Barret Stadium on South Green Street in the fall of 1967—a City High football game, perhaps—when Gleaner Publisher Walt Dear approached him and asked if he would like to be a photographer for the newspaper.
“Knowing Walt and how he did things, that sounds like exactly what could have happened,” Steve Austin, who spent nearly a half-century working at The Gleaner, said.
Williams spent five years taking photos for The Gleaner, including one amusing picture—of a South Central Bell telephone technician using an earphone at the grave of a Revolutionary War soldier in Audubon State Park (he was checking an underground cable)—that was reprinted full-page in the June 6, 1969, edition of Life magazine, back when it had a circulation of about 8.5 million.
He later joined The Courier-Journal, when it was regarded as one America’s greatest newspapers and photo staffs.
Williams shared in two Pulitzer Prizes awarded to the C-J—for feature photography in 1976 for coverage of school desegregation in Jefferson County and again in 1989 for coverage and follow-up of a church bus crash at Carrollton, Kentucky, that killed 24 youngsters and three adults.
“He was indeed a treasured member of the C-J and Louisville Times family,” C. Thomas Hardin, former director of photography for the Louisville newspapers, said in a phone interview Thursday. “No question about it, a stellar individual.”
Hardin said Williams was often on what he called the Final Four team, following the University of Louisville, University of Kentucky and Indiana University basketball teams through the NCAA tournament when they were all contenders for a national championship. In those days, the C-J went to extraordinary lengths, setting up darkrooms in basketball arenas and using dedicated telephone lines to transmit photos so they would appear in the next day’s papers.
Besides Williams being “a wonderful news photographer,” Hardin said, “As a person, you can’t find a nicer person—a person who was always thinking of others, and just an all-around super guy.”
Williams photographed Louisville native Muhammad Ali on multiple occasions, and some of his photos appeared in the 2018 Courier-Journal book, “Picture: Muhammad Ali” that was subtitled “A Rare Glimpse into the Life of The Champ.”
Among Williams’ photos is one showing Ali dozing in a chair at his home in Los Angeles in 1980 while watching his friend, broadcaster Howard Cosell, on television. Others, from 1978, show him embracing his young daughter at his training camp and running along a foggy road while training for his second fight with Leon Spinks.
Williams remained with the Louisville newspaper for 34 years before retiring in 2007.
He became an ordained minister in 2014 and with his wife, Linda, ministered to homeless individuals in Louisville, according to an article at the Notable Kentucky African Americans Database.
Videos of Williams leading mid-week Bible studies from Beargrass Missionary Baptist Church in Louisville from recent years are available at YouTube.com.
“You could not find a kinder spirit-filled person, so soft spoken and kind,” Jarrett said of Williams.
Similar accolades for Williams poured in on the private Courier-Journal photography Facebook page.
“One of the best co-workers, if not human beings, ever,” longtime C-J and Times columnist Bob Hill posted. “Talented. Grace. Class. Caring.”
“Keith was a terrific photographer and a great man,” Cary Willis, a former Gleaner and Courier-Journal reporter, posted. “Easygoing and compassionate.”
“I was always glad when Keith was assigned to illustrate a story I was working on, because he was a completely dependable collaborator with an eye for facts, not just visuals,” Al Cross, the longtime former government reporter and political columnist for the C-J, stated in a text message.
Said one man: “Went to school with his son. Mr. Williams was a father figure to many of us who grew up in single-parent homes.”
Among other honors, Williams, a 1971 Henderson Community College graduate, in 2012 received the HCC Board of Directors Distinguished Alumni Award; in 2016, he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
Claude Cookman, picture editor of the Louisville Times from 1974 to 1981, remembered him like this: “Tall, reserved, soft-spoken, Keith Williams carried himself with a quiet dignity. He let his photographs speak for him, and they told eloquent stories.
“I bumped into Keith a few years ago and tried to compliment him on something,” Cookman said. “From his deep reservoir of Christian faith, he deflected my praise, credited it to the Lord.”
