At VHS, Dave lettered in both track and cross country all four years. He was undefeated in the half-mile and mile events his junior and senior years until the state meet. As a senior, he placed 4th at the state cross country meet. In addition to being a state officer of FFA, he received an “Iowa Farmer” award from the state FFA, and an “American Farmer” award from the national FFA. Dave was also president of the Page County 4-H Club.
In 1953, he graduated from Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) with a degree in animal science. In college, Dave was a class officer and three-year letter winner in both track and cross country. He was named outstanding senior by his college fraternity, Farmhouse.
After serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force from 1953-1955, Dave returned to the family farm near Villisca. As a fourth generation family farmer, he is especially interested in good stewardship of our environment, involvement in church and community, and appreciation of nature. These are reflected in his involvement in many local, state and national organizations. Dave’s positions have included: an organizer and Executive Committee member of the Iowa Environmental Council; Advisory Board member of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University; Page County District Soil Commissioner; board member of Farmland Industries, Inc., a Fortune 500 company; Villisca Methodist Church Sunday school teacher; an advocate and principal fund-raiser for the Wallace Research Farm near Atlantic; co-chairman of fund-raising to bring the Good Samaritan Society Nursing Home to Villisca; and a founding board member of Villisca Alumni and Friends Association.
Dave has received many awards in recognition of his passionate work, including: 1980 Iowa Master Farmer named by Wallaces Farmer magazine; 1986 Iowa Outstanding Soil Commissioner; 1996 Regional Environmental Stewardship Award by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; and, with his wife, Corrine, the 2016 Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture by the Leopold Center.
David L. Williams, a 2017 member of the Villisca Bluejay Hall of Fame, passed away on August 26, 2019.