By TIFFANY RAZZANO
Though Williams, a life-long resident of Rockville Centre, will continue to practice law with his firm, which is in the village, he says it's the right time for him to step down. His son and daughter-in-law, Rob and Beth Williams, recently gave birth to Cate, the first grandchild of Williams and his wife, Pat. Stepping down from his position as court justice will give him more free time not only for himself, but to dote on his granddaughter. The couple also has two other children, Megan and Jay.
"My time with the village was great," he said. "I loved every minute of it. I loved being the judge. It was very rewarding."
Williams was first elected in 1991. That first time around he faced opposition. But the three times he was reelected after that, he was cross-endorsed by all of the village's political parties.
"Judge Williams is a fine lawyer from a fine family," said Mayor Eugene Murray. "He will be missed on the court where he has given 16 years of excellent public service to the Village of Rockville Centre."
After attending St. Agnes Grammar School, Williams graduated from Chaminade High School in 1960. From there he went on to Boston College, graduating in 1964, then St. John University's Law School, finishing up in 1967. After he completed his schooling, he served in the army for two years, working as a legal assistant for a battalion stationed in Germany.
When he came back to Rockville Centre in 1969, he began working for the Town of Hempstead, moving up in the ranks to the position of counsel to the presiding town supervisor by the time he left in 1984. After that, he worked for Beveridge & Diamond, a private firm in Manhattan, for just over two years. Then he decided to open his own practice on Long Island in 1986, first in Mineola, then moving to Rockville Centre in 1990.
Public service has always been in Williams' blood, as his father Raymond Williams served as a village trustee and deputy mayor for several years after first being elected in 1952. "I firmly believe that if you live in a community, you should give back to it a little bit," he said. "I grew up with an understanding that community service was a good thing to do."
Rather than focus on his accomplishments, Williams says the most memorable recollections he has from his 16 years as judge were the community service program he helped institute in the village in the late '90s, and a Youth Court set up at South Side High School in 2001. The community service program only lasted a couple of years because of potential insurance problems, he says. The Youth Court, which put underage offenders before a jury of their peers, is no longer used because there is no one to oversee the program.
Frank Yanelli, Rockville Centre's other village court justice calls Williams, a former president of the Nassau County Magistrates Association, "a modest guy." Yanelli says when Williams first ran for judge, he told the village he was going to address "the enormous parking violation backlog" the village court was facing at the time. "He kept his word," Yanelli said. "He addressed the problem efficiently and single-handedly reduced the backlog."
Yanelli says he will miss working with Williams, whom he not only considers a colleague, but also a friend and confidante. "The guy has sound judgment and not only good judgment, but it's tempered with discretion and insight," he said. "He has this capacity to move volume with courtesy, which is particularly apparent on arraignment night. The place is jammed with people, and he moves that volume courteously. Not only is he efficient but he's thoughtful and judicious."
Christine Tarpinian, village court clerk, says it has been a pleasure to work with Williams. "It's been a real honor and blessing to be working with him," she said. "He's the best. He's very efficient and very serious in what he does and yet there is a light side to him... All-around, he is a very fair and caring person."
"I could write a book on Bob Williams and all of it would be good," Yanelli said. "If I were to sum it up, above all he is a thoroughly decent man who has earned the respect of everyone who has stood before him and worked with him."
Comments about this story? TRAZZANO@liherald.com or call (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
