Lion of the Week

Nancy Williams

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Nancy Williams was born and reared in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She graduated from Oakland High School in Murfreesboro and went on to MTSU where she received a Bachelors Degree in Communications. Her parents were Gene and Thelma Sloan. Her father was an Aerospace Engineer at AEDC in Tullahoma. Her Mother worked her whole career as the Secretary to the Dean of Education at MTSU.

Her husband, Mike Williams, was also a student at MTSU while she was there, and in fact was the president of the student body. She says they were not really friends while in College although they knew each other. He went to Louisiana for awhile after he graduated and Nancy came to Franklin and was employed as a reporter for the Review Appeal. Mike returned to Middle Tennessee and was working for Congressman Bob Clement when they started seeing each other. Mike was elected as State Representative for the district extending from Franklin into the Dickson and Cheatham County areas. Nancy says that was the busiest time of their lives. He is now the Executive Director of the Tennessee Petroleum Council. .

Nancy has a step son, Keel who is graduating this year from the University of Memphis with a degree in music. Their daughter, Emma, is 9 years old and is a student this year at the Poplar Grove School.

Nancy is the Director of the Downtown Franklin Association, which is part of the Heritage Foundation. The DFA is a main street program under the Historic Trust to revitalize the historic district. It is self funded by a number of festival events. The DFA puts on the Main Street Festival, Pumpkin Fest, SEILA, Dickens of a Christmas and the Jazz Festival.

Nancy organizes and directs tours to downtown Franklin. She just took a tour which met Robert Hicks and toured the Carnton mansion with him. They all bought his book, "The Widow of The South" a historic novel about the mansion and its heroine, Carrie McGavock, who was responsible for the development of the confederate cemetery near the mansion.

When asked about hobbies and personal interests she responds that it seems like all she does is work. But she has fun with a book club that she belongs to in downtown Franklin. They live on Third Avenue, but the club is called the Fourth Avenue Book Club. Her two primary hobbies are reading and sewing.

Nancy's parents were both big Lions. Her Dad was a District Governor when she grew up. She loves the mission of the organization. Her family would sometimes go to the school for the blind when she was young on holidays and during special events.

Nancy says she has not been the most acitve member because of her job and family responsibility. But she has always helped with the publicity and has served the club very well in that capacity. She actually has trained on the camera, but only used it for one eye screening after she was trained. She has been a member for seven or eight years. She was brought into the club by Betty Jones and Tim Murphy.

The selection of Nancy Williams as Lion of the Week gives us a special opportunity to learn more about this member who has had the heart of a Lion since her childhood.

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