A UofM alumnus is being remembered through a scholarship for three things he loved — the UofM, FedEx and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
The scholarship’s namesake — the Gene Williams Memorial Scholarship — honors Gene Raymond Williams, Jr., who was a UofM alumnus (’84), 40-year FedEx veteran, Eagle Scout since ’79 and long-time supporter of BSA. Williams passed away on May 15, 2024.
Curt Gobbell, manager of Aircraft Fleet Planning at FedEx Express, said the scholarship was created to honor Williams and his exemplary service to FedEx Corporation while also paying tribute to his alma mater and his years of support to the Boy Scouts.
Gobbell who worked with Williams for many years described him as having a huge personality and being family oriented.
Williams worked most recently with a small team of three individuals on a data-driven project determining aircraft needs based on package flow and demand.
Williams attended the University of Memphis and graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and earned a Master of Business Administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1996. He held several licenses and certifications in data science, data storytelling and analytics and used his talents toward his many years of service at FedEx. Honoring Williams exemplified a philosophy at FedEx called PSP. Which stands for people, service and profit, in that order and is something chairman Fred Smith instituted when FedEx was founded.
“If you put people first, they will create great service.”
“If you put people first, they will create great service, which will in turn drive profits, it all starts with making people number one and honoring Gene in this ceremony was my little way of doing that first ‘P’ and we wanted his family to know how much he meant to us and what a wonderful individual he was,” Gobbell said.
UofM Mechanical Engineering student and Eagle Scout Brian Cassady was awarded the one-time scholarship from FedEx Corporation. Williams’ family, colleagues and the local Boy Scouts were in attendance during the presentation.
It was fitting to honor Cassady, who maintains a 4.0 GPA, with the scholarship. Cassady has been a member of the Boy Scouts for 12 years and an Eagle Scout for a little under two.
Cassady said from a young age that he has always been intrigued with understanding the world and how things interact with each other. Taking dual enrollment courses in high school solidified that mechanical engineering would show him the knowledge and understanding of how things work together. Growing up in Bartlett, Tenn, he chose the UofM for its proximity to friends and family and affordability.
“With the help of FedEx and the friends and family of Gene Williams, I will be able to pursue my education and career with added financial security, allowing me to devote more time and effort to learning and gaining experience that I can use to further grow and develop as a person, a Scout, and an engineer and subsequently pass on that learning and experience to future Scouts,” Cassady said.
Keeping people first through community and friendship is also something Cassady said he loves most about being an Eagle Scout and a part of the BSA.
“From what I’ve come to learn from those around him, Gene Williams was a prime example of what I love about Scouting, and to receive this scholarship is, to me, an immense honor, and a reminder of the importance of everything I have learned through Scouting, as well as a reminder to pay it forward to all of those Scouts who will come after me,” Cassady said.
