Claiming Texas as His Own

By all accounts, Dwight Williams is an accomplished man.

Williams is a graduate of the University of Tennessee; he is an advanced nurse practitioner who provides anesthesia to patients in every practice setting and for every type of surgery or procedure. “I put people to sleep, but I also make sure they wake up again,” he states. He has a record of philanthropy that all of his children emulate, frequently giving him gifts of charitable donations made in his name.

Still, if Dwight should glance at his right-hand ring finger, he becomes aware of how weightless it feels. It’s missing something, like a University of Texas class ring.

Although from Tennessee, Dwight claims that he is, by all rights, a Texan. “One of my uncles—several generations removed—came to Texas when Davy Crockett did,” says Dwight. “You know, the Tennessee Volunteers saved Texas.”

Dwight is not comfortable resting on his ancestral family members’ successes, however, and he intends to return to school and earn another diploma. This time, Dwight asserts, the school has to be a UT System institution. “I want to earn that class ring.”