Black businessman built a trucking empire in Odessa
Bobby Williams, born 51 years ago to a Dawson County sharecropper, built Williams Tractor Service Inc. from a secondhand tractor in the 1970s. He recalls racial bias yet emphasizes hard work, expanding from two employees to 66, later moving half the operation to Austin while keeping roots in Odessa. He notes a bank venture on Odessa’s south side and ongoing race-relations challenges as revenues dip from early 1980s highs to about 2.4 million in the latest year.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bobby Williams
Williams
Williams Tractor Service Inc
Dawson County
Vernon
Odessa
Permian Basin
Black, Siralls and Bryson
Ferguson
Tormmie
Williamses
OIB
Hudson Ave
Midland Regional Airport
Williams Tractor Service
Austin
United States
Affirmative action aims at fair treatment in Odessa
Susan Hammons reports on federal rules guiding minority representation in hiring and management since the 1960s, highlighting Executive Order 11246, one-to-one government negotiation, and goals over quotas. The piece surveys Southwestern Bell Odessa staffing, other major local employers, and the Texas Alliance of Minorities in Engineering, noting minority hiring challenges in journalism and industry, with quotes from local officials and workers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Southwestern Bell Telephone Co
Lyndon Johnson
Lynn Ligon
U.S. Labor Eas
Symes
Ligon
Labor Department
Odessa American
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Dave Lyons
Lyons
Odessa
American Newpaper Publishers Association
American Society of Newspaper Editors
Curtis Norris
House of Prayer Baptist Church
Broughton Ave
Nickell
The
American
Phillips
Ector
el Paso Products Co
Bill Gruer
el Paso Products
Southwestern Bell
Texas Alliance of Minorities In Engineering
Gene Solloway
TAME
Permian
Solloway
Gruer
el Paso
Dart Industries Inc
Aline Lauzon
Dart & Kraft Inc
Paramus
N.J
Oil industry workers dispute race bias in Permian Basin
Odessa accounts describe EEOC complaints and settled disputes involving Gulf Oil. Hall, a former van operator, alleges blackballing after filing a grievance. Industry leaders deny formal blackball systems, citing emphasis on experience and reliability. Several workers share experiences on layoffs and rehiring without racial motivation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Odessa
Hall
Gulf
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Commission
Alex Vigil
EEOC
el Paso
Dallas
Fred Meurer
Texas
Gerald M. Scott
R.G. Drilling Co. Inc
Scott
James Blain
Johan Drilling Co
Permian
Blain
Jim York
Amoco
J.T. Butler
Phillips Petroleum Co
Butler
Phillips
Also Mentioned on This Page
Barrett Ave
Robert Jr
Dina
Caliche
Tex
Susan Hammons
University of Texas At
the American
Texas Employment Commission
Ron Smith
Smith
Gibson’s Distributing Co
Sharp Drilling Co
Well Tech Inc
Sharp Drilling
Gibson’s
Faye Waddell
Well Tech
Houston
Andy Bustos
Bustos
Peggy Prickett
Wilson
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