REMEMBERING CHARLES “HIPPO” WILLIAMS

BY AJ WOODSON

Former Mayor Ernie Davis (continued) lot. I last saw hippo about 4 months ago and he jumped out of his truck when he saw me working in my yard... gave me a big hug and he thanked me for the opportunity to work for the city... and I promised to call him if I heard of roofing work. In this world of ordinary people.. extraordinary people iam glad for having met a young man we fondly remembered as “Hippo” ... may God bless his comings and going... may The God bless his family and friends in a special way!

The last one was from a brother names Ronald Fleming who sent his thought via email...

If you google the Williams Brothers of Mount Vernon, two names will come up NBA players Gus and Ray Williams. Everyone in the city of Mount Vernon of a certain age has a story about the brothers. But for me it was their younger brother who had a profound affect on my life. That was Charles ‘Hippo’ Williams.

When I met him he was a security guard at Mount Vernon High School. Being a rebel without a cause or a pause, I had plenty of interactions with all of the security guards. But at a time when I was trying to do everything I could to mess up my life, this brother saw something in me.

At the time I had stopped going to school, or atleast stopped going to classes. There was this one time I missed about 4 or 5 days of school all together, my parents had gotten divorced, I thought it was my fault, my grandfather Leroy James Henderson affectionately know as Fats had passed and I was on a destructive path.

So this brother we called Hippo (I don;t think I ever found out why) rode his bike to my house on Mundy Lane and rang the bell. I opened the door and ofcourse I was suprised to see Hippo at my door. He asked me to come outside and we walked down to in front of the laundramat on the corner and basically Hipp began to tell me how I was messing up

How I was better than this, how I didn’t need to be out in the streets. He told me I need to come back to school and stop cutting. All of this I had heard before and being hardheaded let go in one ear and out the other. But this was different, he looked me in my eyes and told me, he was going to treat me like a man and have this conversation with me, but I wanted to keep messing up the next conversation can involve my dad and my division principal Mr. Grimes.

I never had anyone come at me like that before and because of that conversation I was back in school the next day and that next conversation never took place. I share all of this to say the reason I am not dead or in jail like many I went to school with, was because of many people like Hippo, who for some reason saw something in me. I share this to say I hear many people talk about how the youth are out of control but it’s not them failing us, its us failing them.

I won’t pretend we were friends or I knew him and his family, but that interaction and many others are particially why I am here doing what I do today. All the accolades, awards, proclamations etc ofcourse first and foremost i give my parent credit but beyond them there was brothers like Hippo who invested in me and I will be forever thankful.

Even when I pretended like I was listening I remember most of what they told me and those words. This is my memory of Charles ‘Hippo’ Williams, his brothers may have made it to the NBA, but Hippo played an All-Star role in my life!

May he rest in peace, my condolences and prayer for hsi family, friends and all the other’s whose life he touched!!!

After posting some of this on Facebook and meeting his brother David, who introduced himself at my book launch at Mount Vernon Public Library I asked others for their memories. I got three before I had to go to print and here is what they had to say about Hippo.

The first person I heard from was Lowes Moore another brother from Mount Vernon who went to the NBA and knew the Williams brothers...

When we were young I remember Hippo being the nice person in the world. He was everybody friend. As a basketball player he was the first Dennis Rodman. Just selfless... He will truly be missed. - Lowes Moore

Former Mayor Ernie Davis, sent a text with this message...

Hippo was a unique personality... he became a known roofer and he didn’t mind letting you know it. I used his expertise for city work and had no trouble. He was fun to converse with and I learned a

The first family of basketball in my native Mount Vernon NY for a number of years was the Williams family led by the eldest brother Gus; Gus was an NBA Champion with the Seattle Supersonics.

Brother #2 the late Ray Williams was a mainstay and first round draft choice of the New York Knicks. Ending his NBA career in the hunt for an NBA championship playing for the Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers

Sam Williams was the third brother and a phenomenal high school scorer and good college player; finishing out his college career at the University of San Francisco.

The baby of the bunch was David “Scap” Williams who was a scary good basketball player whose game incorporated parts of his three older brothers.

But the guy who would sneak up on you with his game was the fourth brother Charles “Hippo” Williams who was a great competitor and an even better guy. I knew Hippo as a little boy, and later as a young man, with no change in his personality.

We lost Hippo the other day, as he went on to be with the Lord. I will always remember Hippo for his engaging personality making everyone around him comfortable.

#HIPPORESTINPEACE!

YOU WILL BE MISSED! #ONELOVE!

- From the desk of California City High School Boys

Basketball Coach Ronald Lee Fleming (born and raised in Mount Vernon NY), holder of five California State Records, two time Back 2 Back CIF Championship Coach, and five time author.

Black Westchester celebrates the life of Charles ‘Hippo’ Williams may he Rest In Peace!!!