Sedalia has always been like the movie The  Mouse that Roared, punching above its weight in talent and natural beauty. Iowa-bred Carole Williams is a prime example: the former editor of the Sedalia View, founding member of the Sedalia Museum and Gardens, and vastly more.

Carole is supremely talented, creative writing atop the list. Things started clicking in high school when she joined the school newspaper and continued while attending the all-women’s Sweet Briar College in Virginia. There she majored in English, developing a keen interest in essay writing.

Then, on a raucous blind date with college friends, Carole got lucky in love, discovering a “keeper” and married Bill soon after. From Watertown, New York, her Bill did some wild things, including joining the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division as a paratrooper. Forced by Uncle Sam to mature quickly, he later returned to college to become a research chemist.

In the 60s, the couple moved to upstate New York for Bill’s job. Carole got a bit part with the Geneva Times in the Finger Lakes region.

After another move to Toledo, Ohio, Carole joined the Toledo Blade, Toledo’s largest and Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper. There, they welcomed their son Scott. For fun, they acquired a 27-foot sailboat, sailing Lake Erie for as long as a week at a time.

While Bill stayed close to his chemicals, Carole’s life went to the dogs. Having a high profile from raising Field Spaniels for many years, Carole became the director of information at the Morris Animal Foundation, a worldwide effort at advancing animal health. Editing Companion Animal News, she reached 30,000 pet owners. Carole visited veterinary colleges that were authoring articles funded by Morris. At her executive level, she was privileged to collaborate with Betty White, star of stage and screen. She reminisces often, noting that the relationship was one of her life’s high points.

Manufacturing company Johns Manville summoned Bill to Colorado for the concluding chapter of his professional life. Since Sedalia’s environs were convenient to the plant, he and Carole settled in Indian Creek. It was then that their love affair with Douglas County began, now 37 years long.

Retiring from Morris, Carole remained hyperactive. President of Denver Woman’s Press Club, she also founded a small PR company. As if that was not enough, she was a partner in Sports Strategists, a sports consulting company, specializing in promoting second-tier Olympic sports.

The Williams’ Wildcat Mountain acreage allowed the couple to bring horses and trail riding into their lives. A master gardener for years, the space also allows Carole to put her outdoor energy and creativity to work.

Carole reflects gratefully on the opportunities she had and the life she has led, Bill the absolute best of it. Over the years, Carole “fell under the spell” of the late Sedalian icon Barbara Machann, privileged to have worked often with the life force that Barb was to all Sedalians.

Those touched by Carole’s friendship or work know her contributions have been critical fiber in Sedalia’s leadership tapestry.

 

 

By Joe Gschwendtner; photos courtesy of Carole Williams