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A. J. Williams, the volunteer who comforted the Washington Hotel fire victims
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When A. J. Williams was a little boy, he and his grandfather went to a local Dairy Queen where they ordered two ice cream cones. As the lady was giving them change, Williams returned the money. He decided he wanted her to have it instead. Williams’ good-natured deeds and his desire to help his community has always been his trademark. Whether he’s organizing a “battle of the bands” contest, where young wannabe rock stars expose their talent during Canonsburg’s Fourth of July celebration, or lending a hand as an assistant coach and motivator for the Canon-McMillan Junior Varsity wrestling team, or working as a volunteer in downtown Canonsburg Oktoberfest, Williams has become a fixture in the community. And it was on the afternoon of October 15, 2006, that Williams was once again volunteering, this time for the annual City of Washington Arts and Heritage Festival in the fall. (October)
As a 19-year-old freshman at Washington & Jefferson College, Williams’ schedule is usually packed with a “heavy work load” of classes, along with serving as president of the college’s Black Student Union, where he became the first freshman to ever hold the position. With a major in education and a minor in political science, Williams is studying to become a French teacher and is also aspiring to become a local politician. He took a bite into the political apple a little over a year ago when he became the first Junior Councilman to serve on Canonsburg’s Borough Council. Although he wasn’t allowed to cast any votes, Williams occasionally lent his voice to concerns affecting the youth in the borough.
On the afternoon of October15, 2006, the last day of the festival, Williams was helping to announce the winner of the “Cutest Baby Contest” when one of the volunteers saw smoke coming from the George Washington Hotel. “The smoke looked like it was coming from behind the hotel, but was actually coming from the roof,” says Williams. Williams and another volunteer rushed to the scene of the fire. When they arrived, the police, ambulance, and firefighters were already tending to the 120 evacuees — many from the assistant living quarters of the hotel.
At first, Williams says his response was to go in and help people evacuate from the building. However, “I was told to make sure everybody stood back and away from the building,” says Williams. While the evacuees were being transported to Washington High School, Williams worked overtime collecting food, blankets, pillows, drinks, sugar free food for diabetics, and other necessities. The October evenings were growing colder, and Williams managed to find jackets for the residents to wear.
Williams spent the next several hours making sure all the victims were receiving the care and necessities they needed until most of them were moved to temporary housing at Horizon Senior Care in Canonsburg and Presbyterian Senior Care in Washington. When a man lost his shoes upon his arrival at Horizon Senior Care, Williams retrieved a pair for him. “He made sure the man had his shoes,” says Mauer.
Mauer was impressed with Williams’ take-charge attitude and maturity he displayed when caring for the fire victims.
For the next two weeks, Williams visited the victims staying at Horizon Senior Care. “When I went to see the patients, they were content and being cared for by the nurses and staff who worked at the George Washington Hotel,” says Williams. “They did an outstanding job caring for the patients during their difficult ordeal.”
Williams’ efforts in helping the fire victims didn’t end there. He and other volunteers continued organizing their relief drive for the next two weeks at City Hall and in one of the rooms at the George Washington Hotel until the residents could return to their apartments. Supplies and personal items the victims needed came from donations as far away as Waynesburg and Pittsburgh, thanks to Williams and other volunteers advertising their cause in the media.
During his time helping the residents, Williams didn’t miss any classes and maintained his 3.1 G.P.A. Although he spent many days and nights collecting items and visiting the residents, Williams credits learning about time management in high school for teaching him how to balance his schedule between school and helping the residents. Fifteen days after the fire at the George Washington Hotel damaged the second, third, fourth and fifth floors, and the ballroom, residents and staff members returned to the building where everything there is “running as before.”
Williams’ selfless efforts earned him admiration from Washington & Jefferson College and the City of Washington, both of which recognized Williams last December for his hard-work and dedication to the community. “A. J. went above and beyond to serve his community during the fire,” says volunteer coordinator for Washington & Jefferson College, Susanna Hart. Williams was awarded a certificate, a ceremony at City Hall and honored at a City Council meeting. A dining hall at Washington & Jefferson College even named a sandwich after him in honor of his efforts in helping the victims of the hotel fire.
Perhaps no one is more grateful for Williams’ contribution to helping the fire victims than Ron DeVerse, director of operations at the George Washington Hotel. DeVerse says Williams was “tremendous” in making sure residents received their donations. “He was always on call,” says DeVerse. “He worked really hard and placed a lot of effort in helping us.” Williams and others who helped the fire victims were honored by the George Washington Hotel with an appreciation dinner and commemorative keys to the hotel.
These days, Williams is focused on running for a seat on Canonsburg Borough Council. If elected, Williams says he seeks to close the gap between council members and citizens at council meetings. But his volunteering efforts have not stopped. Perhaps they never will. Let’s just say Williams is good at it.
