Who’s Father William?

 

Father William believes

“the goin’ up is worth the comin’ down”

most of the time…

Kristofferson’s song, Pilgrim is about a life of “ups and downs.” As Father William’s five children attest, it’s a pretty good description for their flesh-and-blood dad’s life, too. And so is the quirky image Lewis Carroll created in his poem, “You are old, Father William…”

Father William’s real name is William Idol. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1938 and raised in 40’s and 50’s suburbs. As a young man he sold insurance, managed a garage, taught high school English, coached football and golf, ran a training center for drug counselors, administered a university residential area, served as a faculty development specialist and loaded freight cars in the St. Louis summer.

He was awarded a Ford Fellowship to study leadership in 1969. He used this support to apprentice with many of the early pioneers in humanistic and creative psychologies. He taught at the University of Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy University and The Evergreen State College. From 1976-2002 he was a consultant to major corporations. Now he’s enjoying his own Third Age journey and helping others chart theirs.

He’s had his share of messy and joyous journeys, of “goin’ up and comin’ down” as Kris sings. He has a storehouse of both warm and painful learnings from his travels, and he wants to offer these to his kids and any interested others. This is why he created his website “A FATHER’S LEGACY”.

Family BillFather William is in his Third Age and, as Joseph Campbell advised, he’s “Following His Bliss”, and for him this means letting the wisdom he’s been given flow through him to others. Why? Because, when he’s sharing his experience, he’s transported into a state of creative ecstasy. He says bliss just doesn’t get any better than that for him. He’s even been known to say it’s as good as sex!

His insights are filled with humor, experience and compassion, and he offers these by telling stories about how beautiful and bizarre his own life has been. He takes the world (and especially himself) lightly so his stories are both funny and profound.

He’s also learned to be painfully aware of the danger of ego inflation that can come with taking on such a role. This is why he took the name Father William. It’s a profound and absurd perspective that reminds him of who he really is – just another peculiar pilgrim whose time served lets him step aside from most of the “comin’ downs” these days…

STORY: Almost all of FW’s stories give a personal glimpse of him, and “Mops, Moments & Mirrors’ (or “Off To Be The Wizard”) certainly does…

ACTIVITY: If you’d like to hear how FW sounds, you can listen to a radio show. Be warned – he does go on and on…